Stores of Skill: The 23rd Hunger Games (SYOT Full)
by SilverflowerXRavenpaw
Summary: Surprise, y'all! I'm back and ready to write another story (THAT was a short hiatus). An SYOT with only a little hint at the Arena. No real subplots, so come in even if you haven't read the others. Rated T for being The Hunger Games. Full already, but PM me if you want to see if anyone drops out!
1. Intro and Jazz

**Draco Stilleto**

 _Another Arena? I, like,_ just _made an Arena. Why can't the Games be every fifth year? Every tenth year? Then I could cut out making so many dang Arenas. There are only so many biomes. There are only so many animals to make into mutts. Twenty-three years into the Games, and already I'm running out of ideas. What to do?_

* * *

 **Surprise, y'all! Mom said I could write another story, so here we are! I have a slightly-edited form on my profile (which I will also post here), and you can use a different form if you like. I'll PM you if you don't include something I want to have.**

 **This is the 23rd Games, because Enigma won the 22nd (she was in a mini-story by herself). She is an official Victor now, and she'll be mentoring this year, since she was actually submitted to me, not one of those people I made myself.**

 **Name:** If you only have a first name, it'll do. I might fill in the last name if you don't, but they might not get one. I take anything (I would literally accept ABCDEFGHIJK LMNO P) but I do prefer tributes that don't have accent marks over letters. It's annoying to get the accent mark in each POV, and I might remove the accent mark.

 **District:** You can list more than one if you like, in order of priority. That way, if your slot is taken, you still get a District you want

 **Age:** Pretty self-explanatory

 **Appearance:** It can be a blurb or a paragraph, I don't care. There's a decent chance I'll hardly describe them. Fair warning.

 **Personality:** This can also be a sentence or a three-page essay. I'll try to write it well. I advise you don't do like eight thousand words (no lie, I think my record is around six thousand?). That might be more words in personality than they get in point of views, and I likely won't be able to get it all in.

 **Backstory:** I ask for a bit of info, but you don't need tons. Two or three sentences would be great, but if you give me less I'll fill it in.

 **Family:** You can say everything about each member, or just names and positions.

 **Reaped/Volunteered:**

 **Reaction/Reason:** Really pretty self-explanatory. Stoic tributes get unrealistic, and basic scared gets boring.

 **Reaping Scene:** Reapings can get boring. If you don't want your tribute's first POV to be a Reaping, send in what you do want here. Note: I mean a daily life scene. If you ask for a train ride, their first scene will be a Reaping.

 **Reaping Outfit:** You don't have to fill this in. If you don't, it's automatically a T-Shirt and jeans.

 **Token:** It's optional, and I might not mention it, but if you don't put it in you almost certainly won't get one, unless I spontaneously feel like making one. (Example: I made Annika's token (from Rising to Victory) her sister's bracelet.)

 **Strengths:** I don't care how many you have, but try not to be too crazy. That thirteen-year-old from 11 is not going to be buff and know how to use every weapon. Also, don't overlook simple things like being small so she can hide.

 **Weaknesses:** You can have many or few, I don't mind. If you do stupid things like "He's too perfect!" I will have him spend so long trying to be perfect that he starves. Other than that, I try not to be too harsh.

 **Weapon of Choice:** This isn't entirely necessary, but it's very useful, especially if your tribute makes it to the top three, when I sometimes start mass-sponsoring for interest purposes. If you don't list one, it will probably be spear or knife.

 **Where they go in the Training Center:** They can go as many places as you want, but the more places they go the less they know about each thing. I don't mind jacks-of-all-trades, they just don't always win.

 **What they show the Gamemakers:** I don't care how detailed or basic this is. "Throwing knives" would work, but so would "(x) throws twelve knives, getting two bulls-eyes, but missing the target entirely once. The Gamemakers 'ooh' and 'ahh.'"

 **Training Score:** I take what's given to me. It doesn't really matter anyways, since you're the sponsors.

 **Capitol Scenes:** No guarantee that it'll get written, but it might. This is just fun things the tributes can do for a nice break from training scenes.

 **Parade Outfit:** Please list some idea. If you need I'll fill it in, but it will probably be stupid and crummy. (Ex: An electric toothbrush)

 **Interview Outfit:** If you don't fill this one in, I will, but it'll be lame. Like a white dress. (I literally used a white dress in Rising to Victory)

 **Interview Angle:** Please be creative. Not everyone is nice and innocent. I'll accept it, but it's way more fun to read someone who tries to be a clown

 **Bloodbath Plan:**

 **Will they die in the Bloodbath?:** Let's face it, some tributes have to die in the Bloodbath. If I don't get enough Bloodbaths, I'll choose some random ones.

 **Games Plan:** Everyone running and hiding makes it boring. I'll take it, but I'll probably pick people off with mutts if that happens.

 **Preferred Death:** The odds are your tribute won't win. This is pretty much a consolation prize if they don't.

 **Predicted Placement:** It might not matter, but if you expect your tribute to get 13th, they're less likely to win. Also, really high predicted placements on weak tributes annoys me, which probably won't be the death of your tribute, but it could be a factor. (Ex: If LCS said Smudge was going to get first, I wouldn't like Smudge as much.)

 **Allying or No:** If you want them to ally, you'll need to get both parties' permission, unless I partner people up myself. I generally don't, but sometimes it works.

 **Fight or Flight Instinct:** Will they run from confrontation, or face it head on?

 **Other:** Are they allergic to bananas? Do they like Persian cats more than sphynxes? Does the color yellow disgust them? This is where you can put random stuff like that. Again, it might not get written, but it might.

 **Optional: Theme Song:** Sometimes it's nice to have a song to listen to for writing inspiration. If you don't have one it's all good, but if you do, it's neat.

 **Also Optional: Faceclaim:** You don't need one, but if you're bad at describing people, or you want a more blunt show, this works. Please still do a basic appearance for humoring me reasons.

 **Name:** If you only have a first name, it'll do. I might fill in the last name if you don't, but they might not get one. I take anything (I would literally accept ABCDEFGHIJK LMNO P) but I do prefer tributes that don't have accent marks over letters. It's annoying to get the accent mark in each POV, and I might remove the accent mark.

 **District:** You can list more than one if you like, in order of priority. That way, if your slot is taken, you still get a District you want

 **Age:** Pretty self-explanatory

 **Appearance:** It can be a blurb or a paragraph, I don't care. There's a decent chance I'll hardly describe them. Fair warning.

 **Personality:** This can also be a sentence or a three-page essay. I'll try to write it well. I advise you don't do like eight thousand words (no lie, I think my record is around six thousand?). That might be more words in personality than they get in point of views, and I likely won't be able to get it all in.

 **Backstory:** I ask for a bit of info, but you don't need tons. Two or three sentences would be great, but if you give me less I'll fill it in.

 **Family:** You can say everything about each member, or just names and positions.

 **Reaped/Volunteered:**

 **Reaction/Reason:** Really pretty self-explanatory. Stoic tributes get unrealistic, and basic scared gets boring.

 **Reaping Scene:** Reapings can get boring. If you don't want your tribute's first POV to be a Reaping, send in what you do want here. Note: I mean a daily life scene. If you ask for a train ride, their first scene will be a Reaping.

 **Reaping Outfit:** You don't have to fill this in. If you don't, it's automatically a T-Shirt and jeans.

 **Token:** It's optional, and I might not mention it, but if you don't put it in you almost certainly won't get one, unless I spontaneously feel like making one. (Example: I made Annika's token (from Rising to Victory) her sister's bracelet.)

 **Strengths:** I don't care how many you have, but try not to be too crazy. That thirteen-year-old from 11 is not going to be buff and know how to use every weapon. Also, don't overlook simple things like being small so she can hide.

 **Weaknesses:** You can have many or few, I don't mind. If you do stupid things like "He's too perfect!" I will have him spend so long trying to be perfect that he starves. Other than that, I try not to be too harsh.

 **Weapon of Choice:** This isn't entirely necessary, but it's very useful, especially if your tribute makes it to the top three, when I sometimes start mass-sponsoring for interest purposes. If you don't list one, it will probably be spear or knife.

 **Where they go in the Training Center:** They can go as many places as you want, but the more places they go the less they know about each thing. I don't mind jacks-of-all-trades, they just don't always win.

 **What they show the Gamemakers:** I don't care how detailed or basic this is. "Throwing knives" would work, but so would "(x) throws twelve knives, getting two bulls-eyes, but missing the target entirely once. The Gamemakers 'ooh' and 'ahh.'"

 **Training Score:** I take what's given to me. It doesn't really matter anyways, since you're the sponsors.

 **Capitol Scenes:** No guarantee that it'll get written, but it might. This is just fun things the tributes can do for a nice break from training scenes.

 **Parade Outfit:** Please list some idea. If you need I'll fill it in, but it will probably be stupid and crummy. (Ex: An electric toothbrush)

 **Interview Outfit:** If you don't fill this one in, I will, but it'll be lame. Like a white dress. (I literally used a white dress in Rising to Victory)

 **Interview Angle:** Please be creative. Not everyone is nice and innocent. I'll accept it, but it's way more fun to read someone who tries to be a clown

 **Bloodbath Plan:**

 **Will they die in the Bloodbath?:** Let's face it, some tributes have to die in the Bloodbath. If I don't get enough Bloodbaths, I'll choose some random ones.

 **Games Plan:** Everyone running and hiding makes it boring. I'll take it, but I'll probably pick people off with mutts if that happens.

 **Preferred Death:** The odds are your tribute won't win. This is pretty much a consolation prize if they don't.

 **Predicted Placement:** It might not matter, but if you expect your tribute to get 13th, they're less likely to win. Also, really high predicted placements on weak tributes annoys me, which probably won't be the death of your tribute, but it could be a factor. (Ex: If LCS said Smudge was going to get first, I wouldn't like Smudge as much.)

 **Allying or No:** If you want them to ally, you'll need to get both parties' permission, unless I partner people up myself. I generally don't, but sometimes it works.

 **Fight or Flight Instinct:** Will they run from confrontation, or face it head on?

 **Other:** Are they allergic to bananas? Do they like Persian cats more than sphynxes? Does the color yellow disgust them? This is where you can put random stuff like that. Again, it might not get written, but it might.

 **Optional: Theme Song:** Sometimes it's nice to have a song to listen to for writing inspiration. If you don't have one it's all good, but if you do, it's neat.

 **Also Optional: Faceclaim:** You don't need one, but if you're bad at describing people, or you want a more blunt show, this works. Please still do a basic appearance for humoring me reasons.

 **^That's the form, which is also on my profile. It's a better idea to submit via PM, since I do first come, first served. I always check PMs before reviews (who knows why?), so PM is the wiser decision.**

 **I'm putting the list and jazz up tonight, too. I actually wrote them before posting this to make sure I'd get them all out.**

 **IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NEWCOMERS (or anyone else who can be bothered to read this):**

 **1) The POVs at the beginning of this chapter and the end of the next are nothing. They're just there to make sure the intro chapters are technically legal**

 **2) I don't require following/favoriting/reviewing in order to be accepted, but you should review now and then or PM me to let me know you're still around - I don't want anyone who's not reading to win**

 **3) I make mistakes sometimes. I don't usually forget characters entirely or anything like that, but if you're worried, just PM me or review. I don't care (assuming you're polite about it). I'm open to constructive criticism and any ideas you might have!**

 **4) If you have any other questions, ask! I forget things, and I like to think I'm a pleasant person. I don't bite.**


	2. List and Sponsoring

**Here's the official list! I try to keep it pretty updated, but it might be a bit behind at times, so don't be afraid to PM me.**

 **You can reserve as many slots as you want, but if you take more than one, please put them in order of priority. I'll mark your second/third/etc... priority on the list, so if the story fills up, I know which spots to give away (and people know which spots to ask for).**

 **D1M:** Prosper Mallister (18) Santiago . poncini20 (Certainly) - Career

 **D1F:** Alexandria St. Johns (18) IVolunteerAsAuthor (Certainly) - Career

 **D2M:** Gallant Deacon (17) TheAmazingJAJ (Certainly) - Career

 **D2F:** Cassiopeia Palassaqua (17) 66samvr (Certainly) - Career

 **D3M:** Radian Sempli (16) ItSaCaTwOrLd (Certainly) - Looking for allies

 **D3F:** Lexi Circuit (18) Guest (Certainly) - Interested in allying

 **D4M:** Rio Ryine (15) Anna (Certainly) - Career

 **D4F:** Argentina "Tina" Hudson (17) AmericanPi (Certainly) - Career

 **D5M:** Adair Brites (16) Reader Castellan (Certainly) - Not allying

 **D5F:** Cecelia Q. (16) Notyou21 (Certainly) - Not allying

 **D6M:** Nixon Hankook (13) Galaxy842 (Certainly) - Not allying

 **D6F:** Rhiannon Raimers (16) Later . glader (Certainly) - Ask tbh

 **D7M:** Alfred "Raven" Keats VI (14) AmericanPi (Certainly) - Not allying

 **D7F:** Yvette Ishi (12) Platrium (Certainly) - Looking for allies

 **D8M:** Isaac Carder (14) LCS (Certainly) - Will ally if approached

 **D8F:** Lacey Evans (16) TheNoobyBoy (Only) - Looking at allies

 **D9M:** Jacob Ezekiel (15) willemsbakedgoods (Certainly) - (Allying with Lumara Hansen, Arkane Erransaw, Nyle, and Amelia Gomez, but you can still ask!)

 **D9F:** Jade Hart (15) abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz005 (Certainly) - Not allying

 **D10M:** Theodore Elaine (15) SparkALeah (Certainly)

 **D10F:** Lumara Hansen (17) LordShiro (Certainly) - (Allying with Jacob Ezekiel, Amelia Gomez, and Arkane Essansaw, but you can always ask!)

 **D11M:** Arkane Erransaw (16) Audmirable (Certainly) - Allying with Amelia, Lumara, Nyle, and Jacob (but hey, you can always ask)

 **D11F:** Amelia Gomez (17) Queenofinsanity (Certainly) - Allying with Arkane, Lumara, Nyle, and Jacob (but hey, you can always ask)

 **D12M:** Nyle van Buren (17) Zacksteel (Certainly) - Allying with Arkane, Lumara, Jacob, and Amelia

 **D12F:** Indie Rayne (15) Manny61945 (Certainly) - Not allying

 **Sponsoring: My sponsor system is still open. You just ask and see what you get (ask for whatever you want, really). I'm going to be a bit less lenient this time, because last time things got crazy (fun, but crazy), but I'll still be pretty open.**

 **One more important thing: I DO accept reservations/submissions through review. They just might get missed.**

 **And two more things: I don't have many headcanons to worry about. However, the other thing is, I allow Districts to win twice in a row, and I do allow Twelve to win, as well as twelve-year-olds.**

 **One more note: Right now this thing is weird as all-get-out, but it'll make more sense as people reply. I'm updating without total certainty for more people.**

* * *

 **That One Capitolite**

Hunger Games coming

A testament of power

This is a lame poem


	3. District 11 Reapings

**Arkane Erransaw (16) D11M**

I woke up and went downstairs to get breakfast. My entire family ate breakfast together, something I didn't like. I wasn't particularly fond of my parents, and they weren't particularly fond of me. Our mutual tolerance for each was enough for me, but we were going to eat breakfast together. Dad probably did it to keep up appearances, and to save time and cleaning in cooking and washing the dishes. For whatever reason, we were going to eat together, sitting awkwardly and talking about little nothings on the day of the Reaping.

"Hope you don't get Reaped, son," my dad said to me around mouthfuls of food. We could afford nice things, like eggs and bacon, for breakfast. Dad was a Peacekeeper, married to one of his own, giving us quite the income and quite the reputation. Every day he wondered why we weren't in Two, his favorite District, and every day I was too polite to remind him that it was because he wasn't supposed to reproduce. He was lucky to have a job at all with a son, and he probably only did because he worked twice as hard to make up for it, and because he never showed me any favoritism.

"I hope you don't get Reaped," my mother said, too, equally monotone. She took a drink from her glass and smiled at me, oddly enough. She wasn't one to show much emotion. She was one to drain it out, pretend not to have it. She had to work hard, too, proving herself after betraying her country, as she liked to call it. As if it was a big deal to have a kid. As if Panem was a country that was worth not betraying.

"I can say the same," I said jokingly. I was going to volunteer soon if I wasn't Reaped. My parents were jerks, abusing their power and being a plague upon the Districts, but I could do what I could to make up for it. I could save the life of one kid and make my legacy slightly better, maybe even win along the way and make people take out less tesserae. Wouldn't that surprise my parents? They wouldn't actually be rid of their son.

"I'll miss you if you do," my dad said, stopping my joking. He didn't usually say things like that. He trained me illegally, because he didn't want me dead, but he didn't pretend to like me. He didn't say that he liked my presence. He was just quiet, distant. He wasn't sentimental.

"Wouldn't we all?" I replied, still joking. I didn't always use my filter, but it was smart to use there. I was too polite to say that I wouldn't miss them, that I was going to volunteer next year to spite them. I was smart enough to keep quiet about that thing, even though I hadn't kept quiet about them being awful, about them wasting their power for evil. But I could keep quiet for that one thing.

In the end, it didn't matter what we said. It didn't matter that I wanted to volunteer. It only mattered that I got Reaped two years early, breaking my wishes and my parents'.

* * *

 **Amelia Gomez (17) D11F**

Horses were good. Horses were steady, constant creatures, always trustworthy. They all had their own personalities, yes, and they could sometimes be in a bad mood, but they would have good reason. Maybe there was a thorn in their shoe, or maybe someone forgot to groom them. They weren't like humans, who would be in a bad mood because you told them their dress wasn't the prettiest thing in all of Panem, even though it was definitely the truth. They were simple and calm.

Even though people would definitely mock me for it if they heard about it, which I knew from experience, because some people had heard about it, I talked to my horses while I worked on them. I had to work quickly, because it was Reaping day, and I had to get every chore done early in case I never came back, but I still had time to greet them all. "Hello, Spirit," I said quietly to the horse my brothers had named. They didn't know that horses didn't like that type of name, and Spirit was nice enough not to show it. He was a gentle creature, ready to be loved by me with all of my heart.

"You're not ever going to laugh at me, are you, baby? You won't call me mean," I said, brushing Spirit's hair. He was a spirited horse, but he was still fun to be around. He loved being brushed almost as much as I loved brushing him. It was nice to have a simple task to do instead of worrying about the more important things, and it was nice to get away from the world for a while and just worry about being nice to a horse. He often nuzzled me while I brushed him, and he always wanted treats from me, so I always brought him one. Just one sugar cube.

Alicia walked out of Night's stall, the horse I had named when I was younger and dumber. "She's doing pretty well, but she needs some extra food for her pregnancy. And don't ride her," my sister reminded me, knowing how tempting it was for me to jump onto one of my favorite horses and feel the exhilaration as the wind flew through my hair. I couldn't do it when Night was pregnant, though. She had lost her last foal after I had spent many sleepless nights and failed tests trying to nurse it to health. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

I walked into Night's stall, opening the door and leading her to the pasture. "You need extra special care now, don't you? You're going to have the prettiest babies in the whole world, you know that. And I won't let Mom and Dad sell them like they sold Diamond, because I'll convince them they're my best friends, and they'll sympathize. You know that works," I murmured as I walked Night. They would be my best friends, like all horses were. The simple creatures were all friends.


	4. District 12 Reapings

**Indie Rayne (15) D12F**

 _Clink, clink, clink,_ my pickaxe whacked against the rocks. It made such a beautiful sound, and I loved the smell of the dust, the confinement of the mines. Of course, it would be terrifying if I couldn't leave whenever I wanted to, but that wasn't a threat I had to worry about. I was in the mines for the fun of it, the thrill of the rush, happy to watch the rooms grow ever wider while I worked away on them. I could leave whenever, not yet allowed to work in the mines and support my family. I could just quietly be a burden, trying in vain to prove to the foreman that I was ready despite my age.

I wasn't allowed in the mines, but that was part of the fun of it. People said they were dangerous, that kids my age would just get in the way, but I knew that wasn't true. I always stuck to the rooms that nobody was in, making sure not to be a nuisance, and I made sure I knew my way out. I just had to enjoy the chill the deep caves brought and the light breezes filtering into the rooms. My dad was too serious to be able to enjoy things like this; he was too busy. He couldn't understand how nice things like this were, no matter how hard he tried.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I heard a voice call out from behind me. I turned and saw exactly what I expected: A Peacekeeper. They were common in the mines, wanting to maintain order in the main business of Twelve. They didn't like my "tomfoolery" any more than the foremen did, wanting to pretend to have something important to do.

"Can't I help pick some extra rocks? It's free work for the Capitol, since I'm volunteering," I said, widening my eyes to look innocent. I technically was breaking the law, but the Peacekeeper didn't have to know I knew that.

"No, sorry. It's against the law for you to be down here. I gave you a warning yesterday, so get over here," he said, likely truthfully. How was I supposed to tell who I had tried that on in the past? They had masks on.

"Oh, well, thank you very much for the warning, but I must be off now!" I yelled, sprinting through the small gap he left in the opening. He could have caught up with me, more likely than not. Peacekeepers were trained, and I all had was a basic track experience. However, I was fast enough that he didn't feel like spending the effort to catch up to me, and he sure wouldn't bother to track me down. That took effort he wouldn't waste.

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

It was time for the best part of the day for me: My training sessions with Chevron. He was the Mayor's son, my adopted brother, and he was an amazing guy. He took me in at my worst and let me live with him and train with him. He knew it wouldn't hurt him in the Games, and he knew I wouldn't rat him out for having a training center in his house. If I did, I would just end up homeless on the street, like I had been for those three sad days before I had asked him for help.

"Are you ready to get creamed?" I asked my boyfriend playfully, knowing the simple stand we always took. It was my turn to choose the weapon, and I chose the sword, knowing it was my best. He had beaten me the previous day with spears, which made sense, because I never touched them. This time, though, I was going to win. I had to be tough, and, more importantly, the winner got a kiss.

"I don't know, last time you ended up on the ground a lot," Chevron replied to me, already picking up a sword. I was pretty predictable there. Chevron learned a ton of skills, knowing at least a few would be useful if he ever got Reaped. I learned one, knowing that would be extremely useful when I volunteered. Twelve volunteers were rare, Twelve Victors even rarer, but I was going to beat the odds.

Chevron came at me, obviously ready to lose. We were so close that we could do that now and then, ready to give ourselves up to the other. I easily poked him with my sword, and he dropped his, coming over to me. "I guess that's your point," he said, waiting.

"I guess it is," I replied, grabbing onto him and dipping him. I brought my lips to his for a second, ready for the same passion that always struck to hit me. When our lips hit, it was a peaceful bliss, letting me forget the world and my ambitions. I wasn't about to volunteer to prove to my homophobic parents that a gay kid could win. I wasn't living with my boyfriend because my parents couldn't accept me. I was living with my boyfriend, the love of my life, in a beautiful house that anyone else would be happy to have, ready to be safe in his arms.

Chevron disentangled himself from me and picked his sword back up. "That was great, lover boy, but we need to practice. Your big day's coming up!" he yelled, getting me hyped up. He didn't really want me to volunteer. He was worried he'd lose me. But he was willing to support me in whatever I did, whether or not it made sense to him, and I knew I would do the same for him. That was what true love meant.

* * *

 **Fair warning author's note: I've never written a romance before, so anywhere I mess up, it's not because Nyle's gay. It's because I don't know that much about love (I'm not some fancy adult...).**


	5. District 9 Reapings

**Jacob Ezekiel (15) D9M**

It was dinnertime for the family, and everyone was excited about it. It was one of the best parts of the day, one of the only meals we could afford to eat together. I had made it, as I usually did. Abraham and Benjamin were studying for college, trying to get into a good school and hopefully get taken by the Capitol. Elijah pretended he was too dumb to know how to use the stove, though all the siblings knew he wasn't. Only Mom got tricked, and none of us were rude enough to tell her she was being duped, so I had made supper, like always.

"How was studying for you two?" Mom asked, immediately turning her attention to my brothers. Sometimes Dad was polite enough to mention that the food was good, make sure that I felt appreciated. It wasn't like I was lazing around the house when I wasn't making supper. I had to go to school, do a shift in the fields, make supper, eat it, and sleep. Yet Mom didn't notice that. She just noticed that two of her boys, the favorites, could be going to college - if they were smart enough to get a scholarship. If they stuck out from the other desperate families.

"Oh, it was great!" Abraham replied, and I believed him. He was smart. He actually had a shot at something better than the life we were living. I stopped listening to the conversation before he had time to continue. Nobody was going to talk to me, and if I ate quickly, I could get to sleep at a healthy time, instead of getting to sleep super late, being tired, and still having to function like a normal human being.

 _What if someone just walked up to you and handed you a huge diamond?_ I thought to myself, falling back into the same old fantasy that always hit me. If we were rich, I could afford to get a housekeeper for Mom and Dad, so they wouldn't have to work so much after their shifts. If I was rich, I could send my brothers to college and keep the richness flowing. _If someone did... You could move out. You could send yourself to college, you could live your own life. You wouldn't have to worry about anyone anymore. You could be yourself._

Everyone had thoughts that they didn't like, and everyone knew they had to keep some secret. If I actually was rich, I would never abandon my family like I liked to fantasize about. In my fantasies, they didn't exist. Even in a make-believe world, I couldn't leave them behind. In the real world, if I got rich, I would spend all the money on Mom and Dad, making sure they had real food. I wouldn't be able to get myself a better life, no matter how hard I tried. Because I'd have to put my family first.

* * *

 **Jade Hart (15) D9F**

The sun was high in the sky, showing that it was nearly noon. That was interesting to me. _New record,_ I thought, almost absentmindedly, while looking for a good stone. I didn't know about other fields, but work in my field was done on a quota basis. Once I had harvested enough grain for the day, I was done. I was almost always the first one done in the field, and Mom didn't really care what I did with my time, so I got to be free for the rest of the day, lurking near the field and disappearing into the nether.

 _What a lovely rock,_ I thought when I saw a flat rock about the size of my hand. I could make a good drawing on that. I looked for a good place to sit, knowing how quickly my pale skin would burn in such bright sun. I found a nice tree and sat in its shade, assuming it was the tree I normally sat by. My memory of trees wasn't my strong point. Then I sat down and reached into my pocket, pulling out my trusty white rock. Though not so poor that I couldn't eat, I wasn't well-off enough to buy art supplies, leaving me making hidden drawings using rocks.

I drew the workers in the field, watching each of their bodies move. It was so intriguing to me, seeing how other people lived their lives. I was always a quiet person, but I could see people in the field chatting amongst themselves. It seemed odd to me to waste time like that, not just getting your job done so that you had the rest of the day to yourself. On the other hand, though, I didn't have any friends to talk with in the fields. Being a quiet person certainly had its negative effects as well as the positive.

Drawing was probably the best part of the day for me, because it was the time when I let my mind truly wander. I sat and thought about beautiful little nothings, from wondering why the sky was blue to asking why plants were green. The reasons didn't matter, but it sure would be interesting to know. Other things did matter, like what I would do in the upcoming Reapings, or where I would end up in the Games. I was going to be quiet in the Reapings. That was all Nine knew of me.

"Did you see Jade clock out today at noon?" I heard a voice ask, shaking me from my zoning out. I looked up at the sky, able to see that hours had passed. "How does she get done so quickly?"

"I hear that she uses black magic," someone replied. I looked up, able to see some girls my age from the school. They obviously hadn't noticed me, which I was used to. I was gone, silent as a mouse and hardly moving. People wouldn't notice the motion if it was always the same.

"No way. I don't believe in magic, you doofus," the first person said, and their voices moved away. I was glad when they left. I didn't need them to disturb me any longer. I needed to finish my drawing, which I did _without_ using black magic.

* * *

 **When ya don't update for three days and feel like you took a whole hiatus... Here are the Nines, though!**


	6. District 1 Reapings

**Prosper Mallister (18) D1M**

Valor was an amazing model. He didn't know the best poses in the world, and he wasn't the perfect form, which made him great to draw. He showed the imperfection of man. More importantly, though, he could stay still for as long as you needed. I never noticed him twitching or shaking, and he never asked for breaks. He was everything an artist could hope for, hidden amongst the top students in the Academy. He did everything I needed as a friend, dang near perfect at any task he took on.

 _Unlike you,_ my mind whispered to me, fighting my knowledge that I was a fine artist. My mind never could agree with me about that. For whatever reason, my inner voices liked to scream that I was nothing special or great. _You're hiding from the public eye, working on painting instead of training or writing. Won't your father be disappointed? You should be contributing to society. Art could never do that. It's so... worthless. Just lime you and all your other hobbies._ My internal voices knew every string to pull to upset me, and they were letting me go.

"You okay, Prosp?" I heard Valor ask me. His voice woke me up, showing me that I had totally zoned out. That made sense. It was pretty hard for me to focus on my art when half of my thoughts said that it was worthless.

I shook my head, deep in frustration, and stood up. I picked up the portrait I had painted calmly, then smashed it over my knee. What was I doing? I was supposed to be training. The Academy was the only reason I wasn't practicing my journalism, and I couldn't even train right. Instead of practicing killing blows, I was perfecting my brush strokes. It was exactly the sort of thing Dad would disapprove of, or the sort of thing kids would tease me for. I was wasting precious time.

"Not this stuff again," Valor groaned, knowing exactly what I was thinking. He understood all my intrusive thoughts, all my self-doubts. He got me through my hardships, and he knew exactly what I was thinking. Of course he did! I was so predictable. Anybody would have known what was going through my head. It wasn't like I was bright enough to hide it.

"If you're so worried about your Dad's pride, why don't you volunteer?" Valor said, trying to point out how silly I was being. If I was going to train, it may as well be for a cause, he was implying, knowing that I trained partially just to get out of the house. It backfired wildly, because he actually had a point. There was no honor greater than winning the Hunger Games. If I won, Dad would have to leave me alone. He'd have no option but to be proud of me. And if I lost, well, he'd still have to leave me alone.

* * *

 **Alexandria St. John (18) D1F**

Nobody liked to beg near the store I worked at. Practically owned, but technically worked at. They knew my father would never give them anything, he'd kill them before wasting any money, and they assumed all the employees would be the same. Most of us would be, hiding from his wrath and not wanting to lose jobs. Luckily for me, he couldn't easily fire me, and he assumed everything I did, I did for a reason. It was a correct assumption, but that didn't mean my reasons always aligned with his.

The darker streets and alleys of One had a couple of poor people, though they were few and far between. I found one old man who was begging on the streets and pretended to be no one important, hoping he wouldn't recognize my father in me. If he did, he might just run off, expecting to be chased away. It wasn't like Dad owned all of One, but he liked to act like he did just because he owned the most important diamond jewelry business in the District.

I dumped the bag I was carrying into the man's hands, smiling brightly at him. It was a normal human thing to do to help other humans, possibly saving his life and making me feel good, so everyone won. If I did it for strategy as well as other things, what did it matter? The man was going to have the time of his life selling the leftover diamonds I had given him, the ones deemed too ugly or small to be worth our time. They were worthless to a big business such as Saint Inc., but they would be worth the world to him.

Out of my peripheral vision, I watched him open the bag. The joy that lit his face made the whole excursion worth wasting my lunch break sneaking out of Father's gaze, even if the guy didn't end up giving us exposure like I hoped. He turned to me quietly and said, "Excuse me, young lady? Where did you get these?" That was a reasonable question. Anyone would assume they were stolen.

"Oh! Those things? I got them from Saint Inc.! The business really wants One to flourish, and that starts at the individual, so of course we'd help you!" I replied brightly, saying the speech I had already thought to myself. It was a bit of shameless advertising, hopeful exposure, and it still made me seem nice. Which was what the company needed, making it what I needed if I wanted to get the company.

* * *

 **Oof. That was a break. I'm sorry it took me so long to write this, but here we are! Things should be slightly less sporadic now. In case anyone's wondering, I'm gonna go in order of full District. If you haven't submitted you'll get skipped until I can come back to you.**

 **Important question: Is it all right for me to kill a tribute pre-Games for the havoc it'll cause (and, you know, maybe subplot)? Keep in mind that if you say yes it could be your baby that dies if I ever decide to break the regular rules.**


	7. District 4 Reapings

**Argentina "Tina" Hudson (17) D4F**

Mom and Dad worked so hard all the time that I just couldn't let them make breakfast. It wasn't the right thing to do! I made the food each morning, trying to switch it up all the time to make sure we never got bored. Today? Chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries I bought out of my allowance. I didn't need an allowance, and I donated most of it, but it didn't seem bad to save a little bit for myself if it was to help out my family. After all, everyone should have a little bit of fun in their lives.

"Oh, Tina! You did such a good job with breakfast," Mom said, awakened by the smell of fresh food. Anyone would wake up to my pancakes; they always managed to smell great. "Classic Tina." She always liked to compliment me, but it didn't seem right. I was supposed to be humble, not big-headed, and complimenting me could mess up my personality.

"It sure is classic Tina. Did she tell you she got chosen to volunteer? She's such an amazing girl, isn't she!" Dad said, and I blushed. They were being so nice! It wasn't unusual, but how was I supposed to take that? Sure, I got chosen to volunteer, but tons of girls did. One did every single year. It wasn't unusual or anything.

"I wish Lia would do something like that. She got an A on her math test, which is something," Mom said, and my mood switched entirely. I wasn't exactly angry; anger came slowly to me. I just knew that it was one of _those_ days - Mom and Dad loved that I trained and hated that Australia was smart in her own way. It was annoying, though that was cruel to think about my parents.

"That is really something! Lia's one of the top in her class! I could never do that. She works so hard for her grades," I said, noticing how Lia lit up when I spoke up. That was pretty much pattern, too. I'd never let Mom and Dad hurt my little sister, though I had to protect her quietly. I wouldn't want to hurt my parents either. They deserved all the love I could give them, just like everyone in the world did.

Breakfast finished a bit more quietly, Aeneas not really wanting to speak up. He was loud, but not loud enough to get involved in a situation like that. I cleared the dishes, another task I couldn't help but doing for my family, and watched everyone disperse, Mom and Dad to their jobs, Aeneas to train, and Lia to study. She lurked for a bit before she went, and I stopped cleaning up.

"Thanks, Tina," she said, pretending she had to. I would never stop loving her.

"No problem, Lia. I'd never let you get hurt. Not for anything in the world."

* * *

 **Rio Ryine (15) D4M**

"Hey Dorian," I whispered to my cousin while he worked on his assignment. He looked up from his book, ears perked to hear what I was going to say. It wasn't going to be anything out of the ordinary, so he probably knew what was coming. "Mom's working with Kai right now, studying some really complicated math thing. She's going to be distracted for a long time." Unspoken words dangled in my silence, and Dorian considered what I was saying. He had to think carefully, or we'd alert Mom.

"Wanna go on a walk?" Dorian replied, matching my quiet tone. It was all I needed to know that he agreed with me: We should sneak out. It wouldn't be a hard task, and Mom probably wouldn't worry. We did that sort of thing all the time, and we'd be back for supper. It was just a beautiful day, and it would be a waste to spend the whole thing inside.

I got up, not putting my book away. That made noise that could alert a watchful parent to what we were doing. Dorian followed suit, and we snuck out of the house, walking as sneakily as we could manage. That wasn't saying much, since neither of us practiced stealth in the Academy and Mom had good ears, but it was usually enough. We got out of the house without being noticed and then ran off toward the beach, knowing good and well what we were going to do even though we didn't speak about it.

Pulling off my shorts, I revealed swimming trunks I had worn under the radar. Dorian raised an eyebrow but chose not to comment. Of course I had planned ahead of time to sneak out. We hardly spent a day homeschooling with Mom. And of course I wanted to swim. It was the best thing in Four, in all of Panem, to be underwater, testing your lungspan and seeing how long you could last. Dangerous, as any Four kid would admit, but we didn't go past where we could touch the bottom if we ever had to. We knew how to stay safely wild.

"Last one to the rock is a rotten egg!" Dorian yelled, sprinting into the water after taking his shorts off. I should have expected that he wouldn't mind not having swim trunks, but I was taken by surprise. I jumped in after him, trying to beat his strokes and overtake his head start. Dorian was normally the stronger swimmer, but I had tricks up my sleeve. Even if I didn't win, the fun would be worth the shame that came with it. School was so pointless. I wasn't going to need the knowledge after I volunteered. I could just swim through life, bobbing up and down and enjoying the peace.

* * *

 **I wasn't joking when I said I'd be on a roll**

 **Anyways, santiago . poncini20 and I are making a collaboration SYOT! It's called Ohana: The 100th Hunger Games and is, as expected, a Quell. Go check it out and send us tributes!**


	8. District 5 Reapings

**Adair Brites (16) D5M**

"You know, this is a one-of-a-kind book. Only three like it exist. Okay, so not _quite_ one-of-a-kind. But this book, signed by the author, is extraordinarily unique. Most of them got destroyed when the author died in a fire, her house burning down with it," I said to the person reading the book cover. I had signed the book, beautifully forging the author's signature, but he didn't have to know that. Really, what did it matter? He would live his life thinking he had a signed copy, and my family would get to eat fruits and vegetables instead of just grain. It wasn't like he couldn't afford the book, anyways. The golden chain on his golden watch told me that.

"Are you sure only three exist? How could you know?" the man asked me suspiciously, and I understood his skepticism. I was asking four of my paychecks for it. That was probably little to him, but he wouldn't want to spend any more than he had to. Money made the world go around, and he was greedy. Everyone was. Greed was one of the ugly parts of humanity, one nobody could avoid.

"No book broker knows for sure how many copies of a book exist," I conceded. It always made lies look better if you said one thing that didn't support your cause. "But I've only seen one on the market other than this one, and the guy was asking 15% more for it! I assume there's another somewhere, but there are no confirmed instances." I was lying like a rug, saying whatever came to mind. Now the guy was getting a discount, as far as he knew, as well as a rare book. A silver tongue was a blessing in Five.

"Hm... Are you sure? Give me a discount, since you don't know your way around," the guy demanded. I shrugged, pretending to think about it. Really, I had already marked the book for way more than it was worth, knowing everyone would ask for a discount and that people were more easily persuaded when they thought you thought they were special. He was going to get the discount even if he hadn't asked for it, just to try to keep his business coming.

"Well, it really is a beautiful book..." I muttered, still acting. "But, you're obviously a collector, and I guess I can let you have a special deal. Not too much... How does 85% sound?" That would still be a ton of money, the guy would think a fifteen percent deal was nothing to me, expecting more later, and I'd get a permanent customer. I just had to keep a straight face so the guy didn't know I was scamming him.

"Hm... I suppose," the man finally said, handing over a bag of money. I gave him the book and smiled. A worthless book with a worthless signature, made valuable because I could lie. My family sure was lucky to have one person with little morals.

* * *

 **Cecilia Q. (16) D5F**

It was time. It was time for the fifth year of the worst day of my life. Two more times I'd have to go through it, and then I could hopefully be safe, at the low price of knowing I stood freely on the graves of other children. I hated Reaping day with a passion, knowing it was one of the few things in the world that was actually evil. The Careers? Brainwashed. Victors? Did what they had to. Psychopaths? They actually had brain problems. But Ginger and her Games were things that were thought out by someone sane, someone evil. That I would admit.

Ovid Leek glided onto the stage, wearing a dress made to give the image of a plane. It wasn't a plane, no; that would be stupid. It just looked like one. Ovid was an idiot, but she wasn't evil. She didn't have the brain capacity for it. Her voice boomed when she spoke. She didn't seem to know what a microphone was. That destroyed my efforts to tune it completely out, as it did every year, leaving me waiting for her to be done and the old Capitol propaganda to start playing.

"Aren't you worried, Cecilia?" Fayrie asked me, bringing me to realize that I had zoned out, lost in thoughts, and therefore lost all facial expressions. I shook my head.

"The odds are like a million to one that we'll get Reaped," I whispered back to my friend, switching to a smile. Bright on the outside, cynical on the inside. Society knew no one for who they truly were. I laughed, faking the joy, and went back to zoning out, knowing Fayrie would quickly talk to her other, closer friends. In order to have close friends, you had to put effort into it. I didn't have time for that.

"And our female tribute will be... Cecilia Q.!" Ovid yelled, almost bursting my eardrums. I glared at her internally. _You have got to be kidding me. This does not happen. It can't be me; everything says it wouldn't. There's no way this is happening._ A plethora of thoughts ran through my head, but I had to strategize. I had to be confident.

"I volunteer!" I yelled out, smiling at Fayrie. "See? You weren't going to get Reaped." Some people would see through my bluff, and I felt silly volunteering after being Reaped, but I could just pretend I hadn't noticed, or that my excitement to volunteer had overwhelmed my hearing her voice. It was better to be a dumb volunteer, in the Capitol's eyes, than just some Reaped nobody.

* * *

 **Ta-da! I got to write part of this today in class, and nothing gets you writing like having nothing else to do.**

 **Shout-out to Cecilia for ROCKING getting unexpectedly Reaped**

 **Question: Is it all right to kill people who aren't specified Bloodbaths in the Bloodbath? Morally speaking.**

 **While you're never required to answer questions (I won't kill you just for not doing it), if you don't, I'll assume your answer is what I want it to be.**


	9. District 10 Reapings

**Lumara Hansen (17) D10F**

It was, without a doubt, the best time of the day. I had recently fed a cow some white snakeroot, milked it, and kept the milk in a syringe. I waited a couple of days to use it, being careful to make certain the cow's milk was totally infected. That was proven to me when the cow got sick and died soon after eating the plant. It was the perfect crime; my parents would never suspect I had willingly killed one of our cows, and I would have the perfect poison to damage a creature without necessarily killing it and losing one of my precious test subjects.

"Hey there, baby," I whispered to the rabbit I kept in a shed. She was a precious girl, almost white, totally used to my antics. She was a bit sickly, which I didn't like, but it didn't really matter. She had lived a good life and been a precious test subject, taking everything I did bravely. I held her down lightly, making sure she didn't move, and stuck the syringe into her, making sure to get past the fur. Then I put just a little bit of the poison into her, knowing too much would totally ruin her. I didn't want her to die. I just wanted to see what would happen.

As it turned out, I wildly overestimated how much poison a rabbit could take. My lab rabbit started kicking and writhing, and soon she went to sleep forever. I sighed, hardly having been able to see what the poison would do. Would it last for days? Would it hurt? Would the rabbit turn sick? The cow had been nigh impossible to watch; other chores kept me from documenting her. I sighed, knowing the current situation. I would have to find a new test subject.

I didn't wince when I stuck the syringe into myself, my right arm, already scarred from past experiments. I didn't flinch when a little bit of the poison went into me, less than went into even the rabbit. I did begin to react when it burned, and I knew it was a serious poison, no matter how little was taken. Maybe I would regret the decision of testing it on myself, but that was unlikely. I was used to pain like that. I was my own test subject a lot of the time, poor lab rats or pure curiosity convincing me to poison myself time and time again. This was just another instance.

"Hey Luma, come in for supper!" my mom called to me, and I headed to the house. My parents didn't know about my experiments, and they didn't have to. They could think I was an innocent little girl that couldn't handle it when an animal died, not knowing I was the cause of most death on the farm.

"Coming, mom! Would you believe Snowball died today?" I replied, putting fake tears into my eyes. They were never suspicious that I was the first one who knew when animals died. They assumed I was being responsible. Which I was, in a way.

* * *

 **Theodore Elaine (15) D10M**

The piano was a beautiful thing. It created notes and could be played perfectly through perfection, ignoring emotion and playing exactly what was written on the page, exactly how it was supposed to be written. I could play with the beat of the metronome, never missing a note, never accidentally playing the wrong chord. It was exactly what my grandparents wanted from me: perfection and nothing else. There was no room for mistakes in life, no room for reconsidering actions or realizing you had messed up. Perfection was achievable and the only goal worth striving toward.

Playing the piano was one of the things I loved in the world. My grandparents signed me up for it with many other things, and I loved them all unconditionally. Sure, the flute took a while to like, but if they were so right with piano, they couldn't be wrong with flute. Sure, debate took a long time to get the hang of, but they knew me! They loved me! If I liked piano, I had to like everything they liked. If I could be perfect at playing piano, I could be perfect at other things. I could make mistakes a thing of the past, something I didn't need.

One of the best things about piano was that it cleared my mind. One of the worst things about piano was that it cleared my mind. On the one hand, I could play freely, enjoying every second and feeling exhilaration at doing one thing right, one thing perfectly. On the other hand, when I wasn't thinking about how to be the perfect leader, how to do everything to help the people, my mind sometimes wandered freely, dwelling on every foolish mistake I had made in the past. It focused on how I once insulted my grandparents, three years back. How I was dumb enough to think Boxer was a good guy in Animal Farm. How once I didn't want to be a leader, I wanted to be a follower. Those were nasty thoughts to dwell on, but piano was worth the risk.

My mind decided to focus on one nasty thing, something I liked to forget. It focused on when I had called Grandpa a lousy Ten in a fit of rage, back almost ten years ago. _He_ was a Capitolite. He had been reminding me for years, reminding me that I was supposed to follow in his footsteps of being a leader. Of course, I had been punished accordingly; no food for three days. Still, that wasn't nearly enough punishment. They should have done more, trained me better. Maybe then it wouldn't haunt me, years into the future. Maybe that was what they wanted.

Frustrated, I closed the piano. It hit my hand, and I almost had to curse in frustration. How could I think my grandparents would deliberately be cruel? They only wanted to train me. They wanted what was best for me. Nothing taught a child faster than losing basic privileges like food and a bed. They were just being smart, and I had no business questioning them. For anyone else, it was allowed. Anyone else was less than, just like I was less than Grandpa and so was Grandma. There was a simple order, and I couldn't question it.

* * *

 **I return victorious, a chapter slain in my wake.**

 **Anyways, I finally wrote again! Story time: I randomly had a dream where I wrote a two POV Games chapter. Which would be weird as all-get-out. I think it was in my house again. Whack.**


	10. District 2 Reapings

**Gallant Deacon (18) D2M**

Some people hit the dummies with the weapon they were best at, pretending they were their enemies in Two, anyone from school bullies to abusive family members. Some people hit the dummies with brand new weapons, ones they had never held, trying to figure out what they were doing in their first week in the Academy. I normally helped the newbies out when I was done training, stalling before I went home, but I still had a couple more hours left before I would give myself a break. After all, the Games would never give me one.

 _You've gotta be the best, Gal. What's your value if not the top? Never be happy with second. It isn't worthwhile. Who cares who you've beaten if even one person beats you? You worthless piece of crud. Why didn't Vanilla propose to you? You were beaten._ Old taunts ran through my head while I trained with my sword, a weapon I was neither great nor terrible at. I was trying to keep faces off the dummies. I didn't want to be some psychopath who wanted to kill my family, even if they were the source of the taunts. I wanted to be a strong gentleman, worthy of everything my parents expected of me, even if part of me knew my parents were wrong to expect so much. It was only part.

"Hey, Gallant! Could you come show Rocky here how to hold a sword? He's new, and you're the best!" Dwayne, a thirteen-year-old, asked me. I had helped him out a little bit in the past, since I was good enough to teach someone the basics. I figured Rocky was probably one of his newbie friends, and I was willing to help him out. Helping was pretty ingrained in me.

"All right, you hold onto the hilt, like this. This is a two-handed sword, so it's gonna be pretty heavy. You got it?" I asked Rocky, making careful eye contact. Look for a bit, break. Look for a bit, break. That was how social situations worked. He gripped the sword, and I helped him move his hands so they were just right for a good swing. Part of me wanted to swing the sword at him, far enough away to miss on purpose, just to see his response, but that would be rude. I wasn't supposed to be rude.

So I did it, making sure not to hit him. It was a small rebellion against my parents, but one nonetheless. It was rude to attack a kiddo. So I did it. Of course, Rocky jumped backwards and threw the sword up, causing a small clash, but it wasn't enough to damage the swords. I smiled at him brightly, knowing my reputation preceded me. I would be seen as being playful. The kid wouldn't be scared at all, and he didn't have to be. I wouldn't hurt a kiddo who had done nothing wrong.

* * *

 **Cassiopeia Palassaqua (17) D2F**

Everyone needed a break sometimes. I chose to take mine late a night the day before the Games, cuddling with the love of my life, Magnus. He was more than happy to cuddle with me on the beach, pleased by both the warmth and by my presence. I was sure he was going to miss me when I left, just like I was going to miss him. The Games would be a long break in our relationship, a good time to test its strength. I was sure he liked me, but was it love, or was in infatuation? Kids couldn't always tell, and I was still a kid, really.

"Do you love me, Magnus?" I asked, knowing he would say yes. He always did. He stopped playing with my hair for a second, and I hoped he wasn't hurt that I asked. I just liked to hear it sometimes, especially when I was down, worried that maybe it was a childish relationship.

"Of course I do, Cassiopeia. I promised not to volunteer because of you, remember?" he asked back, teasing a little. He could have volunteered if he really wanted to, but how dumb would that be? Only one person was coming back alive.

"Are you still gonna love me when I'm gone?" I asked, knowing how hard it would be for him to want to stay with me. It was going to be a while that I was gone, at least two weeks, and every moment was going to hurt. I'd have to kill people. I didn't mind the idea yet, or else I wouldn't volunteer, but that didn't mean Magnus wouldn't see me differently when I came back stained with blood.

"Of course I will. I'll never leave you, and I'll never stop loving you, even if the Games go on for a year." Magnus kissed my forehead after saying that, and I knew he thought it was true. I wasn't sure if I could fully trust that. Magnus wasn't lying to me. I believed him. But that didn't mean he wasn't wrong. People were wrong a lot. I was wrong sometimes, friends were wrong sometimes, everyone made mistakes. I just had to hope Magnus wasn't wrong this time. I had to hope the Games weren't my mistake.

"I'll love you forever, too," I said, trying to right any hurt that might have been done by me insisting he reconfirm it. I wasn't entirely sure it was true, but I thought it was. I would love him until one of us died...if what I felt was love. It probably was. We had been dating for years. We were past infatuation. I could read him like the back of my hand, and he could read me. It was love all right.

* * *

 **~I'm not dead~**

 **I finally updated! Boy, it's about time. I'll try not to poof again, but really, no promises. I can promise that this'll get done, I just can't say when.**

 **Important note: This is my last full District! Get in your tributes quickly, please. I'll start PMing individuals soon, and I might write half-Districts or mixed Districts, but it'd still be nicer to have full Districts (or a full story) so we can really kick this thing into gear!**


	11. District 8 Reapings

**Isaac Carder (14) D8M**

School was nothing for me. I was only ever going to have the education of a fifth-grader, and I was lucky just to have that. Still, it wouldn't be enough to get me anywhere in life. I was taking the fewest classes possible, baring scraping along the legal minimum, on a special track that let me work while also keeping my parents from being arrested for neglect. It was a decent thing I had going, but it was all I could do to pay attention to school. Waking up at five to get to school at seven, leaving school at noon to get to work at twelve-thirty, working until nine to eat a snack and fall asleep at ten... it was a hard schedule to keep up with, and if I had to let something slip, it was going to be my schoolwork. I couldn't afford to get fired. Nobody in my family could.

 _What is the square root of nine?_ my math book asked. All the problems were like that. They were easy enough that anyone in my class could do them, yet hard enough that it seemed like the Capitol was trying to teach us. _3_ I wrote down without thinking, able to be bothered to do that much. Maybe I couldn't always focus when the teachers were teaching. Maybe I slept in class sometimes because I needed everything I could get. That didn't mean I was going to be totally lazy.

After school let out for the early kids, I went straight to the factory. We couldn't afford a bus, so I had to walk. That took a while, since it was more of an awkward limp. How little sunlight I got did that to people, leaving me with bowed legs, knowing how lucky I was to have a job at all. Sure, it was a boring job. Sure, I knew it would be nearly impossible for me to go up in the world from a factory job. I didn't mind that too much. I was alive, which I had to focus on. While I'd be stuck in lower-Eight forever, there was a chance I'd be upper-lower class someday, not poor as dirt. There was a chance things would get a little better, even if they'd never be perfect.

Work was boring like always. I cut large squares of fabric into smaller squares that other people would sew into shirts or dresses, sometimes getting fancy and being told to do a skirt. It wasn't particularly important work, or particularly hard, but it was particularly... lonely, being stuck in a little world, nothing to do but clock in and clock out. I did what I was told and tried to do it well in the vain hope that someday I would get a raise and my family would be able to afford something other than day-old bread. It never mattered, but I wasn't going to stop trying that little bit.

When I got home, I skipped my snack. I wanted to leave more for the family, and I needed sleep. I collapsed onto my bed after another seventeen-hour day of work with no breaks, I was exhausted. Still, I kept myself awake for a couple seconds. I thought of the top-floor apartment I hoped I could get someday, ever since I gave up on switching Districts. I thought of the few plants I would buy if I got the chance, ever since I gave up on being able to see trees. I thought of spending the days in the sunlight from my roof, ever since I gave up on pure sunlight from a fogless sky. I had to live for real a little bit. Otherwise my body would give up.

* * *

 **Lacey Evans (16) D8F**

"Given the definition aforementioned of opinion, that being something which is subjective rather than objective, an opinion cannot be wrong. It can only be disagreed with. A fact, being defined as something objective, can have a negative or positive truth value, but a false fact is not an opinion. It's just a fact that isn't right. Using other definitions, perhaps, you'd have a real point, but not in this instance. Your rebuttal?" I asked the other team, waiting for a response I knew they'd have a hard time giving. I wasn't physically strong, and my mental capacity wasn't always the best, but when it came to debate, even I knew I was a powerhouse. Especially when someone was trying to prove that opinions could be wrong, and they were dumb enough to let me make the definitions.

"Well... Three is pretty, let's say. That's an opinion, right?" the other team asked. My partner nodded readily, knowing what they were going for and knowing I'd have a response for them. "Well, most of society would disagree with them. Wouldn't that make it an opinion that's wrong? If everyone disagrees with them?"

"So you're saying if you don't fit in with society you must be wrong?" I shot back, not needing time to think. I had heard that type of argument before. "And the President, who thinks the Games are good despite the Districts thinking otherwise, must then be wrong?" I was easily backing the other team into a corner. They could never call the President wrong. They had to take back what they said or risk being accused of treason, which wasn't worth it to win a dumb debate. It was as easy as that.

"Fine, fine. Opinions can't be wrong. We concede," the other team's leader said, pouting. I shrugged and high-fived my teammate. It seemed fake, just how easy that debate had been to win. We were in a tournament, a break from school, and we kept getting pitifully easy opponents. It was like we didn't even have to use our brains at all. It almost stank, just how little I had to try. Debates were the best when you were easily matched.

"Come on! We've so got this. Our school is _getting_ that grant. Not one of those dumb private schools that obviously don't need it. I can't believe you're so good at this!" my partner said, hugging me. She was a nice girl who was still getting used to me. Admittedly, I was more quiet in the past, but that was before I realized that I was one of the quicker thinkers in my District. I wasn't the quickest, by any means, but I was quick enough to be able to deflect any bullies, or shoo away any mean teachers. That was plenty for me. It was also, apparently, plenty to get the school a grant... which would mean better lunches, which would just make my popularity rise again.

* * *

 **Ta-da! I got LCS to get me an 8F because people have apparently died. RIP my submitters, we'll miss you.**

 **All joking aside, I need those tributes, both people who haven't submitted! I've given enough warning that it's about time for me to find new people, so chop chop! I'll take a skeleton form if need be. Thank.**


	12. District 6 Reapings

**Nixon Hankook (13) D6M**

Factory work was obnoxious. I wanted nothing to do with piecing together cars for someone I didn't care about, a bunch of aliens in the Capitol just wasting our scraps. I didn't like breaking apart metal for scraps just to be used for fake people I'd never be able to preach the truth about. I didn't like anything about it, even the paychecks. I didn't want blood money from the Capitol, money they had taken from us in taxes just to halfheartedly give back in paychecks. Nothing about the factory was right or good. I only liked showing up for the Peacekeepers.

 _They move so humanly,_ I thought to myself, watching our guards while they made sure nobody was pocketing any pieces of metal. _How could they have been programmed that well?_ The easiest thing to come up with was that they were human, but that was something I simply refused to believe. No human could be as cruel as the Peacekeepers were, just like no human could be as dumb as the Capitolites were. They were all robots, built for strategic purposes, trying to get some of us to mess up so Ginger could have some fun. Ginger was real. So were the head Gamemakers and the richest Capitolites. But everyone else in the Capitol was definitely fake, definitely made up just to try to keep us in line.

 _There must be some wiring somewhere. Maybe I can throw water on one of them when nobody else is looking and short-circuit them. No, they're definitely waterproof. The armor makes them impossible to punch out... Pull a loose cord? Maybe that would work. But none of their cords are ever loose... Hnnng._ Every day in the factory I plotted how to pull one of the Peacekeeper's cords, trying desperately to show to the whole world that they were fake, that we could just dismantle their cameras and be free forever. How hard could it be? Very.

Still plotting my grand show of fakeness, I cursed my bandaged hand. I could move it so much more easily, sneak the plate off before anyone could react, if my left hand, my dominate one, fully functioned. It was a struggle that it was covered, because that would make it a hundred times harder to dismantle a robot. Sure, I could just wait until it healed, but that could be too long. The Hunger Games were coming up, and despite that fact that no one died in them, if I was Reaped, I wouldn't be allowed back into my District. Only one non-Victor had made it back, and he had had to drag himself back kicking and screaming.

 _I suppose I could get the aliens to help me. They have no reason to, but they have no reason not to._ That thought wasn't realistic at all. The aliens were never seen by anyone. They owned the factory, but either they had amazing disguises, or they just let everyone else run it and took the money now and then, transporting it to the Capitol with technology only an alien could understand. They wouldn't help me. I couldn't talk to them to get their help.

* * *

 **Rhiannon Raimers (16) D6F**

 _Three years ago_

District Six was ugly. Nobody would ever disagree with me about that. Smog filled the air from all the cars and car factories. Green grass was a rare sight to behold, trees even rarer. The only living things other than humans were rats or cats, nothing beautiful and real, like birds or weasels. Sure, we got a couple of pigeons, but even pigeons were ugly compared to what I had heard of in the other Districts. Some birds were red. Some were blue. Some shone like diamonds in the sunlight. Why couldn't I have been born to a District with animals like that?

 _When fate does you dirty, take control of your life back._ I wasn't going to sit back and deal with the fact that I was born to one of the ugliest Districts. I was going to fix it. Sure, I would have to do more physical labor in Nine, the closest pretty District, but that was something I could deal with. I could really use to be a bit stronger, after all. I would also be under the Capitol's radar in Nine, immune to being Reaped, but that wasn't one of my priorities. It was just a side effect.

Nobody tried to escape Six, especially not to Nine. Nine was poorer than Six, the labor was harder, and the Peacekeepers were harsher. That being said, the border was one of the least-guarded ones I knew of. It wouldn't be hard to hop over the fence that wasn't even electric, the fence that only existed to slow us down. The other side was the problem. The other side was layered with barbed wire and sometimes kept electric, though our side had been lined with rubber. We couldn't have Nines becoming Sixes, only the other way around.

I was going to risk the fall. It seemed like an easy decision, and it was. I easily scaled the fence, sticking my hands carefully into whatever holds I could find, having to be careful to avoid getting myself shocked. It took a long time, longer than I felt comfortable taking. Trying to leave your District was risky. It was my first attempt, and I wasn't trying to get to One or anything, but I would still be punished if I was caught. Harshly.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I heard a voice yell out from behind me. I tried to hurry my climb, desperately grabbing whatever I could. Something hit my back, and I slowly processed that it was a bullet. Then something else hit me, something I didn't have time to process. I fell to the ground from my position two-thirds of the way up the wall, collapsing in a heap at the bottom. Whatever it was, it hurt when it hit me, when it froze my body. But I would risk it again to escape.

* * *

 **We're full! The list hasn't been updated because I'm using it as a note-to-self, but we are.**


	13. Capitol Interlude

**Vispasian Ginger (President)**

It was time to plot out the Games a little bit more, a couple of last fixes and tidbits. We had almost everything planned. All of the mutts, any booby-traps... Everything was supposed to be ready. Still, I was called in to check up on everything. It was the last scan, and Draco didn't want to disappoint me. He never would. Cordelia didn't seem at all nervous about my visit, but nobody had to be, anyways. I wasn't a monster. I wasn't a jerk. I was just going to see how the Arena was coming.

"How's everything coming?" I asked Draco, since he was the one who had invited me. I tried to be nice to all my Gamemakers. If one of them had invited me, I would have addressed them. Still, Draco was the Head Gamemaker, so he was getting attention no matter who invited me. He just wouldn't necessarily be first.

"I'd say it's going well. Here we have planned a couple of mutts, large rat types... And over here we've fully stocked food for whoever happens to find it. This should cause a lot of hand-to-hand combat, since nobody should die of starvation. If they do, it's their own stupidity," Draco said, waving his hand over the spots of the Arena where everything was. I listened attentively, knowing this would all be important. "Here we'll have some water, and if anyone wants to get creative, there'll be more over here."

"Everything looks good," I said once Draco was done explaining. "Why did you even call me in here? You know I trust your judgement." I certainly did, and I had other things to do. Papers had to be signed. Quells had to be prepared for. I had to make a big announcement sometime, and I may as well mentally prepare myself for it before I even knew what it was.

"Always good to get that last look," Draco replied, smiling at me. He was right. I could have gotten annoyed had he not asked, or had he asked. Still, he really didn't need my final opinion. I'd let whatever happened... happen. I didn't really care too much about the Games. Necessary though they were, if there were a couple flukes, I didn't mind. It made the Districts happier, and the last thing I needed was a rebellion. If avoiding that meant throwing the outer-Districts a bone, then I could find plenty of ways to help.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone raise a fist, then leave the room. Immediately, I ducked under a table, dragging Draco with me. That couldn't be a good sign. Nobody would dare leave their shift without talking to a higher-up, nobody would just randomly leave. And nobody would make sure someone saw them before they left, waiting until someone who was prepared saw their sign. It was bad. Definitely bad.

Rising to my expectations, I soon heard bullets flying through the room. I heard screams and shouts, some people pulling the weapons Gamemakers were allowed to have, others trying to hide behind technology in the room. It was all to no avail. Most of our technology wasn't made for bullets. We didn't expect it would ever have to be. Cries and whimpers filled the air as people realized there truly was nowhere to go, and I knew something had to be done. I was the President of Panem. I could figure something out.

"Stay here," I whispered to Draco, standing up from my spot beneath the desk. Immediately, all the guns were pointed at me. None were fired. "What do you want?"

"Mrs. Ginger, we're here to pass on the sentence you've been convicted of. Multiple murders, multiple war crimes, sixteen accounts of corruption, eight accounts of extortion..." I listened while the list rambled on and on, pretending to care while trying to figure out who it was. Obviously it was rebels, and obviously the rebellion was deep inside the Capitol. One of my hand-picked Gamemakers knew about it. But was it Capitolites? Districts? Who?

"All right. You've obviously done your job. If you're going to execute me, do it now, but please leave the Capitolites alone," I said calmly, putting my hands above my head. One life for the rest in the room? It was something I could handle. I steeled myself the best I could, leaving my hands up but curling my toes. Closing my eyes would have made me more comfortable, but that was one thing I couldn't do. That would be betraying my fear of death, leaving Panem vulnerable in my wake.

The leader, as I could tell by her different colors, her confident stance, walked up to me, resting the barrel of the gun on my head. She stared at me coldly, releasing the safety, then pulled down her mask, showing herself to be a District kid. No Capitolite would ever look like she did; she had a dirty face, an odd complexion. She waited for a second, then spoke. "April Fool's."

* * *

 **Well? I hope none of you expected anything better of me on April first. April fool's y'all :P**

 **Tbh a rebellion would probably just make Panem worse with Ginger as president.**


	14. District 7 Reapings

**Alfred "Raven" Keats VI (14) D7M**

I was often seen as a lucky person. Able to eat every day, able to read books that a lot of people didn't know existed, able to sit back and relax every day, I had a lot of things people would die for. I could play the piano my parents had whenever I wanted to, sitting on a bench hiding books the Capitol couldn't know we owned while playing the music it would definitely approve of, from the Capitol anthem to Peacekeeper training music. I didn't particularly like the music, but it was fun to be able to play it.

 _Up and down and up and down..._ I was playing a simple song, one I had easily memorized a long time ago. I liked it. I liked the ability it gave me to sit back and think, sit down and just relax for a bit, without seeming lazy. I liked that it gave me an excuse for me not talking to my family without forcing me to admit that I was scared I would pass my tuberculosis onto them. I liked that it let me make the words as I went, since it was just a string of notes, something a composer hadn't been bothered to write anything past that for.

 _Passing through an empty life_

 _My friends that come and go_

 _Suffering through a meaningless strife_

 _With knowledge that few know_

 _For when I die I shall return_

 _Much stronger than before_

 _The only facts for which I yearn_

 _Will it be days of yore?_

 _I know that I'll return from death_

 _But when and where and how?_

 _Once I breathe my final breath_

 _Will I come back to now?_

That type of song was a common occurrence for me. I was a ticking time bomb, left on borrowed time until I died or killed one of my loved ones. None of that mattered, though. When I died, I'd come back. I didn't know who I'd be. I didn't know when it would happen. Maybe I'd come back before Panem. Maybe it'd be before the idea of countries existed. It could even be in the future. But I'd be coming back, one way or another. And I cross paths with my family again, no matter how many deaths it took.

* * *

 **Yvette Ishi (12) D7F**

 _Barley tea. Served cold usually, though you still have to bring it to a boil. Summer drink,_ my textbook read. It was just giving me bullet points on a whole bunch of different teas, one of my favorite topics to learn about. I really didn't have to know anything about it. We couldn't afford a lot of different types of teas; we were lucky to be able to have a constant source of simple teas, normal ones, off-brands. Still, I liked to learn about the other types. Some calmed aches, some were soothing. They were all so amazing to learn about.

 _Mushroom tea,_ I recited to myself, setting the table for the tea we were going to have. There had to be plates. There were special cups just for our cultural tea, as well as special forks and spoons. I put out the fancy sugar and the real cream, instead of just milk. _Mushroom tea is supposed to reduce tumors, though it hasn't been proven yet. The theories have some evidence, but no proof. Most studies are done on animals, not humans. I should fix that sometime._

 _Chamomile tea relaxes the body. Mom could use some of that,_ I thought, remembering how much my parents worked while I set out the foods I had made. There were a couple of small sandwiches, as well as some mochi balls I had. Those weren't really traditional, but they were the best I could do when only given a day's warning to prepare a whole tea. I didn't blame my parents at all, but I had spent the entire day cleaning dishes, preparing clothing, and making sure we had proper cleansing supplies. _You could use some chamomile tea, too. You need to get more sleep tonight._

Finally, when everything was set out, I called a guest into the room. Ms. Takahashi was the first guest to come into the room, and I darted out before she could see me. I wasn't to be in the room unless absolutely necessary until my parents had been seated. They could only go in once everyone else had been seated, so it was going to be a while. Luckily, I had ways of distracting myself. _Poinsettia causes diarrhea and vomiting if consumed, though it's safe to touch. Poison ivy isn't safe to touch or eat. I suppose the same goes for anything that's actually named poison._

We heard a door slam, and my parents got up, filing slowly into the room, first my dad, then my mom. I was to go in last, bowing deeply before the guests. I bowed to my parents last, showing all the respect I had for them, then poured the tea. Even though it was a tradition, one I wouldn't have been allowed to ignore if I wanted to, I didn't mind it. My parents deserved the love and respect I showed them. Tea deserved every ounce of effort I poured into it. The guests were just as valuable as my time. Every piece of effort I put into someone else was effort well spent.

* * *

 **Sorry Raven's is short, it just seemed to fit the whole scene pretty well. I'll make sure the boy isn't forgotten ^_^**


	15. District 3 Reapings

**Radian Sempli (16) D3M**

I never did like the Reapings. Sure, I didn't mind them as much as some kids did, but that was because it never crossed my mind to worry. I didn't like to worry. Worrying made things so much more frustrating than they had to be, and Three was frustrating enough without making it any worse. With so many things to keep track of, so many codes and things I was expected to memorize, so many patterns I was supposed to be able to catch instantly, I couldn't be bothered to keep up with smaller details like how many slips I had in the Reaping bowl compared to how many there were in total. Someone would get Reaped. It might be me. There was no use in worrying about it.

"Our male tribute this year will be... Radian Sempli!" our escort called out, reading off the name before I could be fully bothered to process that she had spoken. _Poor kid. He's probably gonna die. Us Threes don't win often. I guess I'll have to go back to school tomorrow. Or I could skip class. School is so hard. No point in going if I can't learn anything the way they teach it._

After a couple of seconds with no one approaching the stage, I realized all the other sixteen-year-olds were staring at me. I jumped for a second, feeling my train of thought totally switch. _No more school. That's kinda nice. Sudden death is less nice. I guess you're kinda screwed. Mom and Dad will worry. Maybe there'll be pre-Dark Days stuff to learn about._ I couldn't focus on one particular thought, and soon enough, I wasn't really focusing on anything.

I walked to the stage, hardly aware of it. My movements would likely have felt robotic had I been processing them at all. _Huh. So this is shock_ was the only thought that cut through my mind easily. I had heard of it. Shock was what left people emotionless after their friends died. _No one will go through shock due to you. Was that why you were picked? You don't really have friends. Mom and Dad won't like to see you die, but it won't be the end of the world. You weren't a paycheck anyways._

The rest of the Reaping must have passed. A girl was called. I didn't process her. We shook hands. I didn't notice it. We must have, though, since that was protocol. I was far too deep into shock, what must have been shock, to notice everything or anything going on around me. I didn't hear my parents crying, but they must have. I wasn't the most useful, but I wasn't unloved. I didn't hear Pexey crying either, but I never doubted her. My thoughts were confirmed only when my mind cleared enough to show me her tear-stained face.

* * *

 **Lexi Circuit (18) D3F**

Each shift was hard work. My muscles ached almost as much as my mind did, struggling against the cries of pain from my arms and the cries of lust from the people in front of me. Still, I had one of the best-paying jobs in Three, and I didn't intend to give it up anytime soon. Sure, it got me dirty looks sometimes, but there was just about no competition. I could ask whatever I wanted with no one else driving down the rates, and I never had to worry that I would get fired. I took my job security and high salary in exchange for people always trying to lower my self-esteem. I could handle it.

Still, as the music came on and I stepped out onto the stage, my makeup lathered onto me, my clothing already painfully tight, I had to steel myself. Then I grabbed onto the pole in front of me, slowly whirling myself around it. Men hooted and howled, some of them already drunk. It was going to be a long night. I was going to try not to think about it. I didn't mind the morality of stripping in a club. It was my body. I'd flaunt if I dang well pleased. I just minded how sore I was bound to be in the morning, and how often my butt was bound to get pinched by a lecherous man.

One person slipped a tip into my bra, the only article of clothing other than panties I still had left, and I showed him extra attention. _Supper's going to be good tonight,_ I thought to myself, happy for both myself and Lyte. He was going to go to college, and I was funding it. He definitely wasn't using me. He loved me. He didn't mind that I always wore pajamas around the house. He just also didn't mind that I could afford to take care of us while he learned how to get a better life. I thought our life was fine. He didn't. _Maybe you could get a steak. That was quite the tip._

As much as I valued each tip, and as much as I valued my paycheck, I was glad when I could clock out. I got to put my clothes back on, take off my caked-on face, and walk to the car I drove. A luxury few could afford, for me, it was a necessity. Without it, I was definitely getting raped on the way home. Even with it, I made a dash to it, hoping no one would catch me. Like normal, no one did.

 _One more shift done._ That was all it was to me. To the customers, I was an object. Put in a coin and I did a task. To citizens who knew about my job, I was disgusting. A slut who was useful for nothing but her body. To me, I was a happy girl, willing to live my life however I wanted to keep myself going. It was all good, all fine. I just needed a break now and then. I just wanted a bit of alone time, taking a long way home to buy myself some precious privacy. That was the one thing stripping took from me. I never got to be alone, not unless I was deliberately hiding. So I hid.

* * *

 **Pretty sure no one in their right mind would attack Lexi, pole dancing makes you ripped**

 **Anyways, Reapings are done! Next up is train rides :D So we're moving right along!**


	16. Train Rides

**Enigma Fenn (D1Mentor)**

I looked up at Prosper. He was taller than I was, and he held himself with a confident air. _Fake. He's likely to crack if he's put under too much pressure. Going to be noticed by the Capitol, make a good leader._ I did the same for Alexandria, judging her inner secrets while keeping a straight face. _Actually confident. Not fighting for herself, so she already has a reason. Also a good leader._

"Both you and Prosper want to be leader, right?" I asked Alexandria, keeping myself blank. I could see both of them judging me, my small stature, my young age. They could deal with it. _They_ hadn't won the Games at thirteen.

"I... guess so," Alexandria replied, and I judged her for it. She was faking. She was good at it, but she was definitely faking. She wanted control.

"Alexandria, you should be leader. You're more used to being in leadership situations. You'll get the pros of making decisions. Prosper, you'll get the pros of not being blamed when things go wrong. Sound good?" It didn't matter what they said. I knew them. That was going to please both of them. I knew it before they did.

* * *

 **Totsuki Sugihara (D2Mentor)**

I sighed when my tributes walked onto the train. Cassiopeia looked nervous. A nervous Career was the last thing Two needed, and it wasn't something I wanted to deal with. Gallant was broken. He had obviously lived a hard life. He could be a fighter, and he definitely looked like he was one, but that didn't mean he was going to be worth my time, either. _Maybe, maybe not._

"Do you two want to train together or separately?" I asked my charges. I hoped they would pick separately. Then I'd only have to deal with training one kid, likely Cassiopeia, and I'd get to go home afterward. If they said together, I'd be stuck with both, and with handling sponsors.

"Together." _I'm going to kill you before the Games begin._

* * *

 **Tellie Cathode (D3Mentor)**

This year, I got the female. I liked that. Females tended to be more willing to talk to me, for some odd reason. I judged Lexi when she walked up to the train, trying to get a feel for the best way to mentor her. The sooner I brought home another Victor, the sooner I got to retire.

"So, Lexi, what did you do in your District?" I asked my charge, wanting to know her past experience. Random things could come in handy in the Games. Maybe she knew how to make power tools or something.

"I'm a stripper." Lexi said her response flatly, without pride or disgust. I felt _that_ clearly. _I'm a mentor. I won the Games. Nice._

"Good. You're probably physically strong, then. Hide that. Hide it like your life depends on it, since it really does. Focus on survival, since no one will expect a Three to be able to take them down." This year, we had a real chance.

* * *

 **Talaysa Pool (D4Mentor)**

Argentina was so pretty. I could hardly focus on anything but how pretty she was. I wasn't going to be a very good mentor if I could only focus on one of my tributes, but Rio was a little boring compared to her. He was a good boy, I was sure, but nothing like Argentina. She should have been a model instead of a Career. That was all there was to it.

"All right you two! How do you wanna train? Do you have a plan or anything?" I asked my two mentees, finally learning that I was supposed to do things like that. Argentina was probably going to seduce everyone.

"I wanna stick with the Careers, like anyone would," Rio replied. He seemed nervous. It made sense. He was a kid.

"Oh, I'm probably going to lead the Career Pack, unless someone else wants that job. I'd hate to steal the spotlight from anyone unless it's totally necessary, like to win the Games. I'd only do that because I have to live, though," Tina replied. I was amazed. She was a perfect person.

* * *

 **Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)**

This year, my tributes didn't need me. I was best as a father, soothing the children who were scared in their last days before they were sent to their deaths. Adair didn't need that. He was tough as nails, used to tricking his way through life. Cecilia didn't need that. She was strong and sassy, everything a father wouldn't want to have to deal with. _I have to switch my attack._

"All right, you two," I said to the children, leaning in on the table. "Your best bet is probably to ally with each other. You're pre-made allies-"

"No," Cecilia interrupted mid-sentence.

"Okay then, don't ally with each other. Cecilia, why don't you watch the Reaping tapes? I'll help you after Adair, while Adair watches the tapes." _Never sass a mentor, child._

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (D6Mentor)**

It wasn't going to get any easier. It was my third year mentoring, and still I hated having to watch children die. Someday I'd toughen up, but I didn't look forward to that day. It was better to mourn that be a rock.

"Are you a real person? Did you really kill anyone? Lyte says the Games are fake. Are they? What's the Capitol like? Are you going to teach me how to kill people, or do we just pull the winner out of a hat?" Nixon asked me, running around the train and picking up random things. Rhiannon was just staring out the window, pointing at trees and smiling at the mountains. She would have been easier to mentor, but I wasn't going to kill a child's light.

"I am a real person, and I really did kill someone," I replied seriously. "The Games are really real, and the Victor isn't picked out of a hat. You're going to have to focus, or you won't get back to your District. I need you to listen to me seriously. We can goof off later, but right now, we need to make a plan."

* * *

 **Cassia Rose (D7Mentor)**

Both Alfred - _Raven,_ he wanted to be called - and Yvette were quite quiet and subdued. They walked onto the train more calmly than I ever would have expected from children of their ages, more calmly than I had when I had been Reaped. Still, they didn't look likely to win. They hardly looked likely to try.

"I'm sorry if I get you sick. I hope you can afford proper medical care," Raven said, sitting down across from me. I shook my head.

"Never focus on that. Don't let the Capitol know you're sick unless you're certain - positively, absolutely, I've-already-sent-you-a-tent certain - that you have sponsors. They'll ditch if you do. You need to form a personality outside of that, or you're not going to get anywhere," I replied. It was nice to have a polite kid, for sure, but I wasn't going to let his politeness get the best of him.

Yvette spoke up. "Would you like me to brew you a drink?"

* * *

 **Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

Lacey and Isaac seemed like two sides of the same coin. Lacey reminded me or myself before the Games, a bright, idealistic young girl who wasn't prepared at all for what was thrown at her. Isaac looked like me after the Games, a more calm, responsible child - still a child, despite everything that had happened - who had too much thrown at them and was forced to adapt. I didn't want to see what would happen to him if he won.

"Do you two have a plan?" I asked, skipping straight ahead to the Games. Introductions didn't seem to go too well for me. Neither did that question, though, I learned, when both of my tributes shook their heads. "Then we'll have to make one. What are your strengths?"

Lacey spoke up immediately. "I tend to stick out, since I'm always willing to argue, and I can be pretty intelligent at times," she said to me, obviously downplaying herself. She knew she was smart. I knew that I needed to get Isaac out of his shell.

* * *

 **Flora Amfora (D9Mentor/Esco rt)**

Jade walked into the train without saying a word, simply cocking her head at me and waiting for me to speak. Jacob stared at me with what could have been disgust, possibly since I looked so different from him. Well, he could deal with it. He was going to be pretty weird to the Capitol, after all.

"What can I do for you two?" I asked, calmly drinking my tea. If they chose to suck, they'd suck. If those chose to be worth my time, I'd make sure they didn't regret their decision. Either way, their lives were totally in their hands.

"I think I need a plan," Jade said to me, her voice so low I hardly noticed it. I nodded.

"Then a plan we will make. You're obviously used to being quiet, so you can use that to your advantage. Don't get noticed by anyone but the Capitol, and get noticed by the Capitol surreptitiously - by seeing people after training and the likes. Do not let any tributes think about you." I could give dang good advice when I so chose.

* * *

 **Nyra Pickering (D10Mentor)**

Theodore was a leader. Definitely willing to do what he needed to do, used to being taught into a leading stance. He looked like everything I had fought against in my District until Ginger threatened to kill me. Lumara was a rebel. I saw the scars on her arms, which she either got rebelliously or did to herself, which was still pretty out of the ordinary. Either way, I had one tribute I liked and one tribute I was used to hating. I was going to have to learn to adjust.

"Theo, you're a leader, right? Gonna do everything you need to keep people going?" I asked the male, judging him silently. I wasn't too fond of his face, his personality, or his reaction to being Reaped.

"I suppose, yes. Grandpa always said that I had to be a leader, or else I was no one, and some people were just meant to be followers, or else they were no one," Theo replied politely, seeming serious yet... looking off. _So Grandpa said, eh? Grandpa's a little butthead._

"All right. Then you need to learn how to do what you're told sometimes. Lumara, you should ally with Theo. You both stick out and it'll make an interesting dynamic to the Capitol. Theo, follow her lead."

* * *

 **Harvest Cormick (D11Mentor)**

Arkane had a weird name. That was actually a good thing, since it would make him stick out without making him doing anything. But still, who names their child Arkane? Amelia had a normal name, which was kind of a bad thing, but it didn't really matter. She'd find a way to stick out no matter what. Even though her District partner was named _Arkane._

"All right. I need your strengths," I said, speaking to Arkane first. Amelia had been tasked with looking through the Reapings, trying to find potential allies. They were going to train together, but I didn't like trying to talk to two people at once. "What are you going to do to win?"

"Well, my dad's a Peacekeeper, so I know some basic survival and stuff. I can fight a little bit, since he made me learn, and I'm used to taking what's thrown at me. Dad really drilled that one into me," the kid replied, and I could see a mess of emotions on his face. That made sense. Peacekeepers weren't allowed to have children. He was probably never supposed to make the spotlight.

"All right. Don't tell anyone else that. It's better to be underestimated than overestimated, after all. I'd say get some sponsors and look for more allies. Focus more on that than on training that hardly helps anyone in the first place." So _that_ was who would name their child Arkane.

* * *

 **Bellepheron Steed (D12Mentor/Escort)**

Indie was awfully thin. It was a shame that I was used to getting thin tributes. I shouldn't have had to get used to that at all, but I was. Nyle was also thin, but he looked to be more lithe than malnourished. He was probably healthy, as far as Twelves went. Still, I didn't like the look of him, either.

"All right! Do you two have reasons to win? It's better to fight for something other than yourself in the Games. The Capitol likes that, and then when you're doubting your value, you'll be a lot better off!" That was certainly true. I had seen tributes give up. Just two years ago Sylvia had gone totally insane, for heaven's sake.

"I want to prove to my parents that a gay guy can win the Games," Nyle said, surprisingly calmly. I jumped back in shock.

"Your parents don't know that? Honey, you are going to love the Capitol. Like half the people there are gay, and they won't doubt you at all." That didn't make any sense. Who didn't know that gay guys could win the Games?

* * *

 **Ta-da! I'm still kicking. Appearances will probably be next, because they're amazing to write and it's really about time.**

 **Shoutout to Amfora for losing all chill over the years**


	17. Appearances

**Jesse B McNab (Capitolite)**

Wow, the tributes really were beautiful this year. Well, some of them. Some of them were less beautiful, but that made sense. Perfection is expensive, and not everyone is willing to spend the time and money it takes to live a life worth any time at all. Still, those tributes were losers, and if they wouldn't spend money on their appearance, I just wouldn't spend any money on them. Their loss.

* * *

 **Prosper: Black short hair, fair skin, dark brown eyes, slim, tall.** How tall? Is he straight-up Goliath? A fifteen-foot man running through the woods, mowing down everyone in his wake?

 **Alexandria: Marie Avgeropolous from the 100. She's made to look around 17 here (even though she's almost 35. I was so shook when I found out how old she is. She's the Sarah Hyland of the CW lmao) It has to be from this era though. Her age shows when she's not Ocatavia'd** In the words of my ever-so-smart sister LCS, _The 100 -_-_

 **Gallant: Gallant's got relatively short dyed blond hair that's dark at the roots - it used to go down to his shoulders, but he cut it after he realized it wouldn't be good to have in the games - and has a dark tan. He's about five feet and eleven inches, and he's lean but muscular, at 160 pounds. He's got light green eyes, and he usually looks nervous or wary.** Dude, this one's actually pretty dang good. I almost feel bad mocking it. Except it's a good thing he cut his hair because long hair is like... 2/10

 **Cassiopeia: Cassiopeia stands at about 5 feet and 9.5 inches in height. She has shoulder-length black hair, and black eyes. She also has naturally paler skin than most.** How much paler? If she's paler than I am I'm pretty worried. Also two-for-one because black eyes? Do she have pupils? Are her pupils her whole eye? Was the recently punched in both eyes?

 **Radian: Radian is thin and nimble like a cat. He has light brown eyes and short dirty blonde hair, and stands at about 5'8.** 5'8 is like... me. I do not like this fact D:

 **Lexi: Lexi is tall and well-endowed. She's pretty thin and wiry, but still muscular from years of hard work. She has a brown pixie cut and blue eyes.** Just gotta make her super pretty, huh? I guess she _is_ a stripper, though...

 **Rio: Rio has blond hair cut neatly but curled and light blue eyes. He has tan skin and freckles all over his face. His hair is so light it almost is white. He is tall and slim.** But _is_ it white? How close to white? Could I see things through it? Does it bend the light like water? Does it stick out like a sore thumb against his tan? Hair this light causes so many questions.

 **Argentina: Tina is a very beautiful girl with long, wavy, golden blonde hair, slightly tanned but still pale skin, and striking, green-blue eyes. She has slender, nicely curved eyebrows, a small nose, and pretty pink lips. She is of medium height and has a respectable figure.** I mean, I already insulted Lexi for being too pretty, but... _dang._ Using the word beautiful in your description? This is almost a Sue, fam.

 **Adair: Adair is lean and slightly muscular, at around 5'9". He has clear light brown skin and dusty blond hair, with Hazel eyes.** ... _Clear_ skin? Can I like... see his veins? Because I sure as frick hope not.

 **Cecilia: Has sharp black eyes with matching shoulder length hair. Has a prominent scar running underneath her left eye. Has a lithe figure and is fair skinned. About 5 feet 7 inches in height.** Ah, yes, those sharp eyes. Going to take out an eye with those.

 **Nixon:** **Nixon is off Asian descent, with great relatives being from South Korea. He has warm brown almond eyes, a small nose and small body stature. His teeth are crooked and aren't brushed well, being quite yellow. He has shaggy black hair which looks quite windswept. He doesn't care too much about his appearance.** Dude... He's gotta have so much plaque build-up. That'd drive me insane. Imagine the in-Arena cavities :/

 **Rhiannon:Rhiannon is really tall for a girl her age - being 6"1. Her legs make up most of her height. She has freckles dotted all over her sickly pale face. Her hair reaches just below her shoulders and is a really dark brown that it looks black in certain lights.** _Now_ I know her height. But is she taller than Prosper? Also with legs being most of her height I'm imagining a one-foot torso.

 **Raven:** **Raven is mixed-race. He's very thin, pale, and sickly-looking. His eyes and long, straight hair are as dark as a raven's wing, which is how he got his nickname.** But how long is the hair? Until further notice I'm imagining it mid-back, possibly reaching his butt, because that's humorous.

 **Yvette: Yvette is very thin and has the height of a ten-year-old, so around 4'7". She has smooth and long jet black hair, while also having smooth and fair skin. She has narrow brown eyes since she has Japanese ancestry. She has not yet reached puberty. She usually wears a pair of red-framed eyeglasses, along with a sweater over a plain but colored shirt, and also a black pair of leggings along with a skirt.** Only one word is truly needed: _Oof._ 4'7"? Oh no baby what is you doing?

 **Isaac: Isaac has really bowed legs and a fragile frame, since he got wicked rickets. He has fuzzy brown hair and brown eyes. He's shorter than average and has slumped shoulders and a sunken chest.** Almost processed fuzzy brown eyes which would most certainly be a struggle. But slumped shoulders is a 0/10 he needs to work on his posture.

 **Lacey: Lacey is slender, having long black hair and blue eyes.** Amazing. 15/10. It's so descriptive the words bounce off the page, giving me an image I could never hope to compete with in my own writing. This description is my magnus opum. Also there's no height so I'm _assuming_ she's shorter than Yvette.

 **Jacob: Fair but tanned skin. Freckles all over his face. Ear length light brown hair with lighter blonde streaks from the sun and bangs. Generally skinny yet muscular. A bit shorter than average.** Freckles _all_ over his face? Ears? Does this include eyelids? I have a sister with a lot of freckles and I'm trying to imagine more, but that won't exactly be easy. Lips?

 **Jade: She has a very pale complexion, even though her district requires her to spend a lot of time outdoors. It's a family trait. She has black hair, which looks utterly black in any circumstances, even in the sunlight. Her hair comes down to the middle of her back, and it can only be described as spikey (she cuts it by herself). She has a heart-shaped face, and her face looks very angular, shadowy, and sculped, with sharp jaws and sculpted cheekbones, and Roman nose. Her lips give out an eerie rosy color compared to her pale skin. The most haunting thing about her is her eyes, which are unnaturally huge and wide, and is a startling color of electric blue. It's one of those hypnotizing eyes you can't help but look away or stare into it, like a ghost or a dead person's. She is quite short but is well-fed, and her arm muscles are developed from working on the wheat fields. She always wears long sleeved clothes, in any weather. She moves with eerie grace and practically glides rather than walking.** You know? I'm all for detail in my characters. Go for it. But her eyes are unnaturally huge and wide. It this some Alita: Battle Angel stuff going on? And a pointy, heart-shaped face, because yes, all hearts are pointy. Gotta love being stabbed with kindness. Also also, she gon' sunburn so much oh no baby

 **Theo: Theo is a kid with a rather normal if slightly buff build standing at 5'5. He's half latino, but just white enough to be blonde. His face is mildly freckled, and he smiles often. His eyes are brown.** _Mildly_ freckled. Not like, a thousand, but not three. "I suffer from mild to moderate freckles."

 **Lumara: Lumara is quite short and looks a lot younger than she is (which gets people to underestimate her ). A lot of people think she is thirteen or around that age. Lumara has dark chocolate skin and beautiful long, thick and wavey black hair which falls to her lower back. She has full lips and wears these big round glasses that cover most of her face.** Is she also Yvette short? Yvette looks ten, so maybe like four inches taller to look thirteen. 4'11"? Also I'm imaging the Specialty Shop Spectacles from Neopets from her glasses.

 **Arkane: He has brown hair? Yeah that seems cool. He's got Brown hair. And brown eyes. And he's tall, with a sort of swimmer's build.** I am legally required to ask how he has a swimmer's build being from Eleven. Did he... earn it? Does he often swim? But also he now has a buzz-cut, because no length of hair was hinted.

 **Amelia: Dark brown frizzy hair, hispanic, brown eyes, thin mouth, broad shoulders, muscular, average height** Well, frizzy hair sure is a nuisance. Especially since it now reaches her feet until further notice. Never leave me alone with a tribute...

 **Nyle: He is 5'11. He has a lean body and is muscular. He has blond hair. He has Heterochromia iridum which means that his left eye is light blue en his right eye is green. He hated it when he was younger, but now he finds it cool** Heterochromia iridum _actually_ just means different-colored eyes, but I'll allow it. Also it's kinda funny that the homosexual guy has _hetero_ chromia.

 **Indie: Height about 5'4-5'6, dark almost black hair that is shoulder length and curls at the shoulders, she has grey eyes and has a small scar on her forehead from hitting her head on a rock playing around in the mines. Has lighter skin than most others in 12 dues to genetics.** So uh... she's 5'5"? But also I hope her head's okay. Never good to get a scar from just straight-up bashing your head into a rock.

* * *

 **Important note for any and all newcomers: It's my task to insult _every_ tribute's personality. Every single one. So even if your description was fine, I was _determined_ to find a way, some how. And also just because I said something insane *cough foot-length hair* doesn't mean I'm actually going to take it into account during the story. That'd be bad.**


	18. Parade Prep

**Caelina Livantus (D1Stylist)**

 _He's like... an artist, right? One does artsy stuff. Oh, they'll_ totally _understand this._ "You are going to _love_ this," I said, hardly giving Prosper time to talk before working on him. One was getting easier every year! With his complexion, my outfit wasn't even going to be hard at all. "Let me get a better look at you... Oh, who am I kidding? You know angles." Prosper and I worked together on his outfit, since he knew a lot too. That was good. He was going to be a total work of art.

* * *

 **Sonoma Cleric (D2Stylist)**

"What do you want to be?" I asked Prosper when he walked into the room. I figured that, though my outfits weren't always perfect, I could make sure he would be confident in his. After all, a confident tribute was a respected one. Prosper seemed to understand the absolute importance of his task, and he sat down, taking to thinking while I waxed him.

"I don't know," he replied, and I got the feeling it didn't just apply to the costume. Still, it wasn't my job to help the tributes, or to really try to change them at all. All I could do was force him to be confident, whether or not he thought he was ready for it.

* * *

 **Uranus Glaze (D3Stylist)**

"So, I have a beautiful outfit planned for you. Of course, you'll have to get into it, but that's fine, right? You can do it. I'm sure you could pull off anything," I said to Radian, wanting him to at least try to act like the outfit was perfect. Confidence got you a long way in the Capitol. Really, he was kind of ugly, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"Sure! By the way, you have, like, awesome skin. How did you _get_ that? Can I do something like that?"

 _I like this kid._

* * *

 **Kohl Augustine (D4Stylist)**

This year, my tributes were going to match. That could seem lame, but really, it made everything about the chariot more appealing. It tied everything together. Plus, I didn't have much inspiration for Rio, especially after I poured my heart and soul into Argentina's outfit. It had to be absolutely perfect to fit a perfect girl like her.

"So what do you think?" I asked, holding up the dress. Argentina started to cry, absolutely overwhelmed by how gorgeous it was. Four was going to be the star of the Parade.

* * *

 **Jezebel Esther (D5Stylist)**

"All right!" I said, clapping my hands together brightly. I had planned ahead, getting Adair all prepped up before I even had to work with him. Then my image of him wouldn't be marred at all by any of his possible flaws. I smiled and looked at him, trying to get an idea of what to do, but it was hard. The boy kept _moving,_ moving my stuff around and looking at everything.

"Would you be so kind as to sit still? I need to dress you," I said, still trying to plot. It was a miracle I got anything at all thrown together. It was a miracle for him that I didn't notice my missing jewels until he was gone.

* * *

 **Estee Lauder (D6Stylist)**

"Wow! So this is what Capitolites are really like? That's so amazing! Look at all of this fabric. I wish Six was like this," Rhiannon said when she walked into the room. I let her talk all she wanted, since she was being so nice. I was certainly amazing!

"You know, I can't do a ton, but I could try and get Six some more fabrics." Rhia told me all about how dull her District was, how she always wanted to get out but never could. How tragic! She never even got to go to a party. I was going to invite every District person they'd let me to live with me in the Capitol.

* * *

 **Sephora Hyler (D7Stylist)**

Yvette absolutely rambled about tea and its importance in her heritage the whole time I was trying to style her. Raven, as Alfred requested I call him, rambled about birds and books and why there are definitely multiple universes. Both were extremely interesting, especially the teas. I had never known that poinsettias were so dangerous. Still, listening to their ramblings didn't give me much time to plan.

 _Oh well. Something simple this year, something amazing the next. New kids, higher standards..._

* * *

 **Revlon Cosmix (D8Stylist)**

Isaac was so _thin!_ It was totally amazing. I couldn't imagine having my collarbones stick out that far, or letting my hip bones be that beautiful. To me, it had always been an unattainable dream to look that gorgeous, and he was a poor kid who looked like that. It was hardly fair, really. I worked so hard, all the time, to keep my figure up, and he spent so long working in a factory, yet he just _got_ it.

Still, I was going to use his beautiful figure. If he had it, he could flaunt it, whether or not he wanted to.

* * *

 **Lucullus Pedalite (D9Stylist)**

Jacob looked at me funny the whole time I tried to plot an outfit for him. Apparently, he didn't realize his life was very much in my hands. I could easily sabotage his entire outfit. I'd lose my job, yes, but _he'd_ be dead, so I'd be the real winner. I was very excited when Jade came in, ready to start babbling about dumb things that she didn't care about just to keep my morale up, but she just stared at me in silence while I tried to dress her. _Fine. Both of you suck. So what?_

* * *

 **Narcissa Belfleur (D10Stylist)**

Theo walked right into the room and said, beaming confidence in himself, that he should be the Greek god of the hunt. I was too polite to tell him that she was a goddess, so I just told him that wouldn't work in my plans. _He_ had the guts to nag me! So I let him. He nagged and nagged, trying to sound polite. Maybe it _did_ sound polite to some uncultured District kid who had no idea how society worked, but it was definitely annoying. So I plotted his entire outfit around that, letting him try to convince me otherwise the whole time.

* * *

 **Olay Yallansen (D11Stylist)**

Amelia was a big girl, strong and muscular. I didn't like that. Sure, she would do well in the Games, and I was one of the few stylists who actually cared about my tributes. But she wasn't very pretty by Capitol standards. They didn't want really muscular people, though they were pretty dang good about it. I'd have to fix that, one year at a time. _A muscular, drop-dead gorgeous girl. Sure, she's more than her beauty, but she can be both strong and pretty._

* * *

 **Rondo Nona (D12Stylist)**

 _Wow! Nyle is so hot! He actually has a build._ Twelves never had builds. I always got the boring tributes that were impossible to work with, or who thought they were absolutely amazing but were actually serial killers who managed to get themselves killed despite having the knowledge of killing and the ability to do it again. Nyle looked promising, and he looked amazing. _I can work with this so well._

"Honey, don't you worry about a thing! All the girls will be _swarming_ for you!" I said excitedly.

"I'm gay."

"All the boys will be _swarming_ for you!"

* * *

 **A couple of important notes!**

 **1: Yeah the Capitol doesn't _really_ mind muscular women, but some people always will and we're trying to please everyone**

 **2: Stylist views represent the stylists, not me**

 **3: Saying girls was a slip of the tongue, since Rondo is so dumb she forgot non-straight people exist.**


	19. Parade

**Icy Slush (Capitolite Parade-Goer)**

This year was _my_ year to be happy as a clam, knowing good and well that I had the best spot in the entire Parade. I wasn't always a spiteful person, but ever since Berree and Creamy had decided to be jerks to me at the last Parade, I knew I was going to have to get my revenge. I had purchased every single front-row ticket to the Parade, giving them away to random other people who wanted spots. I just made sure Unimportanta, Stupidita, Creamy, and Berree didn't have a chance at getting their favorite spots. I didn't want to hurt anyone else.

I sat, roses at the ready, waiting for the tributes to come out on their chariots. It was still the best time of the year, even if it was made worse by the fact that my had-been friends were in the third row. I couldn't afford to purchase every ticket, so I'd have to ignore them and pay all the more attention to the tributes. It was all right, though. They weren't really worth my time. I was the only one in that group with a brain.

One pulled out, dragging me from my stupor. They were on their usual gem-encrusted chariot, nothing new there, but Prosper was a... painting? He was a lady, a black-haired one with a delicate smile. I appreciated the art, and after a while, I appreciated the reference: The Mona Lisa. That _definitely_ deserved a rose. Alexandria's outfit, the paint brush used to paint it, did not. It didn't even fit One.

Gallant seemed happy as could be in his knight outfit, and I could see why. It was beautifully made to fit him; it appeared skintight, but it allowed him to move freely. I didn't know how the Capitol had managed that, but I threw him a rose nonetheless. He caught it and grinned at me, so I made a mental note of who to sponsor. Cassiopeia was wearing a much simpler gladiator costume, but it was still nice in its own way. I didn't throw her a rose, because I wanted to save some for later, but it was was pretty.

I groaned when I saw Radian's outfit. He was a circuit. He had two poles attached to him, one on either side, with a flash of electricity between him. His shoes were the battery. Impressive though it was, teaching me how a circuit worked, it was far from fashionable, and a rose it did not receive. Lexi's outfit was a bit more impressive, with wires seemingly woven into her skin building up to light her crown and dress, another series of connected wires delicately weaving above her head and around her. I threw _her_ a rose, noting how impressive this year's Parade was.

Less than impressive, Rio's outfit was a fish. It was a pretty fish, being the lionfish instead of something boring, but it was still a fish, with water squirting out of holes in various spots. I assumed those were deliberate. Argentina's outfit was absolutely gorgeous, matching her beautiful appearance and personality. A classic mermaid outfit with a twist, she was delicately grey instead of brightly colored, clearly dressed as a swordfish - a fact emphasized by her prop, a sword. Her hair was done perfectly and she had a crown resembling a fish's fins, the bright blue of it adding a pop of color to the monochrome. I screamed in joy at it, something I rarely did, and threw her four roses. She took them, blowing me a kiss and sharing them with her partner.

I was mildly impressed by Adair's outfit; it was a white suit, bedazzled in something that made it glow differently based on how the light hit it. While I didn't understand quite how it worked, I had seen the concept before, and I liked it. It was a simplistic taste of beauty. I threw him a rose, especially since I knew Cecilia wouldn't be getting one. She was absolutely covered in rocks, a bunch of... crystals, perhaps? Poor taste and execution; 0/10.

I threw a rose to Nixon the second his outfit was visible; it wowed me immediately. A rarely explored aspect of Six, Nixon's stylist had focused on the space travel system. His suit was a deep blue, covered with glittering stars and various planets. It was stunning. He took my rose and pulled it apart, apparently muttering something to himself, but I was already looking at Rhiannon. Her outfit was... considerably less impressive, being a huge, hot pink ballgown with various toys hot glued onto it. Sure, they were modes of transportation, but they weren't well done.

Seven had never been particularly exciting for me to look forward to, but it sure was interesting this year. Raven, as various sites said was his preferred nickname, was dressed as a raven. I should have seen that coming. Halfway down the aisle, he reached into his wing and plucked out a feather, revealing a quill pen that had been tucked away. I whooped for him and threw a rose. Yvette was a teapot, which was unusual, but I had to give creativity points. _Two odd outfits in a row._

Isaac's outfit made me gasp. He was wearing avant garde clothing, big and gaudy, showing off his figure. He was a _fashion model._ Even I didn't know the Capitol would decide to flaunt someone's malnutrition. They usually just pretended it didn't exist. I threw him a rose and blew him a kiss, making a mental note to give him candy. He needed it. Lacey was a huge sock, which was considerably less offensive, though also less creative. I gave her no roses because her stylist deserved none.

Nine's outfits attracted a lot of attention and gasps, likely because Jacob's was nine feet tall. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive that he had been able to get onto the chariot at all. He was looking down, seemingly trying to avoid notice in his giant silo costume. That was understandable. I awarded his stylist no points, may God have mercy on her soul. Jade was wearing a long silk dress and a wheat crown, which made some Capitolites gasp. I thought it was all right; it was nothing new and nothing ugly.

While I thought nothing could be worse than Jacob's outfit, Ten's had me second guessing myself. Theodore was dressed as a cow's udder. While technically not wrong, seeing as Ten did raise cattle, it was quite gaudy. And far too realistic, leaving many Capitolites shuddering. Lumara's was better, being a simple sheath dress covered in multicolored feathers, but it wasn't as beautiful as some I had seen. I was beginning to think everyone had peaked.

Arkane was a cowboy. I actually yawned when I saw it. Oh wow, so creative, a leather vest with his muscles sticking out so we could oversexualize children before mocking their deaths. I had seen worse, admittedly, but I had also seen so, so much better. Amelia's was at least not sexualized as much, being a silly cowgirl costume. She was rocking it, jumping around and yelling "Yee-haw!" I threw her a rose for her acting, though her costume deserved one not.

I had hope for Twelve, seeing as I actively refused to give up hope, even though it rarely pulled through. Nyle's outfit wasn't helping my case. He was just wearing pants, fake dirt put on his face, and I assumed he was supposed to be attractive. He wasn't. His body was all greased up to make him look sweaty, which made him less attractive. Who wanted sweat? Indie was wearing a black jumpsuit with some glitter on it, which was okay. I figured it was supposed to look like diamonds, which was neat, so I threw her my five last roses. I had no purpose for them anymore.

* * *

 **Note: Icy's opinions are her own and her own alone. I might like or hate outfits or tributes she feels differently about, since she is her own character.**

 **Happy Easter :D**


	20. Careers

**Prosper Mallister (18) D1M**

There was no question about there being a Pack this year. Alexandria told me she was in on the train. I was going to gather the rest, since we needed every Career we could get. This wasn't going to be like past years, where there were weak Packs that resulted in the death of every Career. This wasn't going to be like other Games, where the One female betrayed everyone, one by one, and left people to die. We were going to be tight-knit until the end, where we would duke it out and find the true Victor. It was how the Games were supposed to be played.

"Hey," I said to Gallant, who was training at the swords. He looked up at me, and we both knew without speaking what I was asking. Still, I wanted it to be formal. "Are you going to be in the Pack this year?" It was a casual question, one that had been answered by his body language already. He just nodded, and I nodded. Then I bounced to the next person, wanting to gather everyone in one day so we could easily plan and I could get back to training.

"Hey," I said to Cassiopeia, not bothering to change my stance. She was at the throwing knives, relatively easy to spot. After all, we Careers were the only ones who were actually good at what we were doing. She looked up at me, apparently spooked, and nodded.

"Are you asking me into the Pack?" she asked, surprisingly quietly. I'd have to remember that she had a quiet voice. I nodded, waiting for her to continue, and she did. "Yeah, I'd like to be in the Pack. Together 'til the end."

"Glad to have you," I said diplomatically before leaving. I had to get to Rio and Tina, and if they both said yes, there'd be a full pack.

 _A fifteen-year-old,_ I reminded myself quietly, taking a second to consider. Rio was fifteen. He'd likely as not be a burden to the Careers. Still, he could prove useful, and I couldn't just abandon Four. It would look terrible. I wandered to the trident station, where I found Rio working away, and walked up to him. "Are you going to be in the Pack this year?" I asked him bluntly. He would have to pass just one test, and that was being brave enough to say yes without questioning himself.

"Definitely!" he replied, his face brightening. Apparently he had been questioning whether he would be invited just like I had been questioning whether he should be.

Tina was moving around a lot, hitting nearly every weapon station. I waited for her at the throwing stars, and sure enough, she made her way over to me. I stuck my hand out and she shook it, and she said she wanted to be in the Pack. Of course, I was happy to let her in. She was certainly going to be useful to have in the Pack, after all.

* * *

 **Alexandria St. John (18) D1F**

After training was done, I went out into the Center. It had been a long thought out decision, with the Pack wondering which of us should deliberately go out to get sponsors. We didn't really need to advertise ourselves, but we also wanted to make sure we were the only tributes getting sponsored. We weren't going to let anyone else get supplies that we wouldn't have an easy shot at, after all. We weren't that dumb.

When I had been asked, it quickly raised my suspicions. After all, they were going to keep plotting while I was gone. I had stared at them, quietly wondering whether or not they were trying to leave me out, and openly letting it show that I was a bit suspicious. They had tried to explain it away, saying that I was already popular, and a lot of people in One knew me; maybe the Capitol would be more willing to check me out and hear what I had to say. Still, I was suspicious. The Capitol would listen to any Career. We didn't have to send someone they already knew.

Still, I couldn't let my suspicions show too much. If I proved to be an annoyance before the Games began, I would be the first one they turned on during the split. I could take most of my allies on one-on-one, but if five Careers were attacking me, I wouldn't come out on top. I had to keep my spot in the Pack, and that was what led me to nod, saying, "All right! It won't be hard at all to get the Capitol to listen to me." A fake smile had been plastered on my face, leaving me playing dumb. Pretending I wasn't wary of them already.

"Hello!" I called out to the first Capitolite I ran across. I judged them quickly, looking them up and down before deciding what they wanted to hear. "I'd really like to learn some of the Capitolite fashions while I'm here. After all, I want to be the prettiest tribute I can be to give you the best show possible!"

The Capitolite gasped, his hands flying to his mouth as he recognized me. "Of course, darling! You see, right now I'm wearing this aquamarine. The style right now is complementary colors - have your clothing be the absolute opposite of your skin color. I'm orange, so I'm wearing blue, simple as that. You see, this jewelry all matches in its own way..." I only half-listened to what the man had to say. I didn't care in the least to listen to him, especially when he had bright orange skin. I just had to get him talking, mimicking his body language to let him think I was interested. It certainly worked, and we had one more sponsor coming our way.

* * *

 **Gallant Deacon (18) D2M**

"We should watch a movie," I said to my allies, who were all gathered in my room. We had been plotting for many hours, and as soon as Alexandria had gotten back from a sponsor grab, we had filled her in on everything she had missed. She hadn't missed much, since we spent a lot of time just getting to know each other. We were obviously scouting for weaknesses and strengths, but I also just wanted to see my allies as the humans they were, not simply tools to be used as I needed.

"That sounds amazing!" Tina had been the first one to reply. Slowly, everyone else followed, and we were looking for the perfect movie. Tina didn't want an action one; we were about to see enough. Alexandria didn't want a romance; they were all too fake, something she had seen too much of in One. Rio didn't want a drama; they were all boring and predictable. It took us almost half an hour to settle on the fact that we were going to have to watch a comedy, and then we still had to decide which comedy we wanted.

"You can decide which movie," I said, standing up. "I'll grab some snacks. What does everyone want?" I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down whatever orders everyone yelled out, from popcorn and peanuts to soda and black licorice. I veto'd that option. Black licorice was a plague upon humanity, and I wasn't going to entertain it by allowing the Capitol to know someone liked it.

"I'll come with," Alexandria said, standing up. "I don't need no man to get everything for me." She was obviously joking, but I really liked that. Mom and Dad said I had to be a perfect gentleman, doing everything just right. Around the Careers, that wasn't true. I was going to kill some of them for sure, and I didn't even have to get Alexandria's cookies and cream chocolate myself. "And I am not ordering black licorice."

Once we were out of earshot of the other Careers, Alexandria typing everything into the machine at surprising rates, I found myself talking to her. She was open. She didn't seem to expect anything of me except an ally, and that was all I needed. After all, I had spent years being perfect. Being an idiot was all that I could hope for. "You type so fast. That isn't something we learn in Two. Did you have to learn that in school?"

"Nope! It's just that the keyboard has an easy enough pattern. It wasn't too hard to memorize it when I decided to. QWERTY UIOP, ASDF GH JKL;," she said out loud, easily rattling off the first two rows. I nodded in amazement. I couldn't memorize things worth beans, and here she was, memorizing things that had no bearing on each other, no rhyme or reason. That was her strength.

* * *

 **Cassiopeia Palassaqua (17) D2F**

Argentina was awesome. She was always polite to me, and she let me do whatever I wanted to do. That was why it was easy for me to invite her to explore the Games Building with me, even though I usually waited until the other person showed some interest in me. She was just so open, so willing to listen to my ideas even though there was a chance they were stupid. She was the perfect ally for someone like me, and I intended to make sure we had our own alliance inside the Pack.

"I hear they have food of every type here. Some Capitolites will talk to us, I'm sure. We should talk to them too. They have the funniest accents," I said, surprised to find myself easily rambling to the ever-nodding Tina. She waited patiently while I said everything that came to mind, only ever speaking to encourage me to keep going. She seemed to be listening, too, not just hearing, and she followed my lead while I brought us to a rock-climbing wall.

"I've always wanted to try one of these," Tina commented politely while I got into line. She joined me, and we chatted easily about what section we were going to try. I wanted to try the hardest, even though I would probably suck, since it seemed the most fun. She assured me I wouldn't suck and she would try the hardest with me, so we could help each other find handholds. I wasn't sure if that was allowed, but when we got to the front of the line, we found out that it very much was. We were strapped in, and Argentina let me go first, since I was clearly more excited.

Sure enough, it was very difficult to find handholds. I had to use random cracks that probably weren't even supposed to be there, sometimes balancing delicately on a ledge. It was scary, and I was constantly worried I was going to fall, looking like a total idiot in front of hundreds of Capitolites. I absolutely couldn't afford that. Instead of falling, though, I ended up freezing, staring at the ledges in terror as I realized there wasn't a good one for me to grab onto within reach.

"Here," Tina said, spooking me for a second. I hadn't even realized that she had reached me. "You can grab on to that ledge, right there, and hoist yourself up. You'll have to go quick, but then you'll be able to put your feet where your hands are right now." I slowly realized that she was right, and that she had saved me the infinite embarrassment of getting stuck mere feet from the top. I grabbed on like she said and slapped the button that signaled the top of the wall, a successful climb.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **Rio Ryine (15) D4M**

Alexandria was by far the least friendly of the Careers. Cassie would joke around a little. Gallant was a hard guy, but he was willing to chat. Prosper was always serious, but at least he didn't assume we were trying to kill him just because we wanted sponsors. Alexandria was hard, and she didn't seem to always like to talk to me. Maybe it was because I was so young. Maybe it was because I always tried to talk to her. Either way, I was determined to befriend her, no matter how tough of a corner I had to back her into. She was _going_ to like me, whether she wanted to or not.

"We should do some team-building," I had said to the Pack, watching for their reactions. They had all agreed, letting me continue. "Like, split off into pairs and get to know everyone better, then meet up and do it again. I think that'd be fun." Sure enough, people split easily into pairs. Gallant teamed up with Prosper. Cassie teamed up with Tina. And I was left with Alexandria, who had no choice but to stay with me. If she said no, everyone who trust her a little less, thinking a little bit less of her. She couldn't let that happen, so she was stuck with me.

"What do you want to do?" I asked her brightly, trying to get her to open up a little bit. She shrugged, glaring down at me, which let me decide what we were going to do. It took me a bit to think of the perfect thing I could have her do to open up, but finally, I decided on it: We were going to a circus. She would never be able to keep a straight face around a bunch of people being total idiots, even if she only opened up enough to mock them. It was perfect.

"Follow me!" I yelled out, racing off to whatever was in front of me. There had to be a circus _somewhere._ It didn't take me long to realize that we were totally lost, though, and I had to ask a Capitolite for advice. She seemed more than happy to lead us to a circus, but by the look in her eye, she was just glad that she knew more than I did. I didn't care. She could call me stupid all she liked, as long as she was a potential sponsor who didn't hate me. I'd be an idiot if it made me a Victor.

"There it is!" I said grandly, waving my arms out dramatically. "The circus." I didn't give Alexandria a chance to say no to my idea. I marched right in, being allowed to skip the line because I was a tribute, and led her to the clown section. Clowns were amazing, no matter how many horror movies people made to say otherwise. And they were perfect for breaking people's composure.

* * *

 **Argentina "Tina" Hudson (17) D4F**

The Training center was easy enough for me to find my way around. I found myself hopping from weapon station to weapon station, easily perfecting my skills on all of them. They were all pretty easy for me, allowing me to show off to the Careers - just enough that they would take me seriously, of course. I didn't want to actually intimidate anyone. I had such an easy time that I almost wanted to go to survival stations, but I knew those would be just as easy for me. It was almost sad, how easy training was.

I was getting ready to go outside the Training Center and try to get some sponsors when I heard a bit of crying. Naturally, I went to investigate, caring deeply about all of my opponents. Sure, some of them were going to die, but they were just as human as I was and deserved to be treated as such. I was absolutely surprised when I saw Yvette, the Seven female, crying her eyes out while working at the medicine station. I approached her and crouched down where she was, looking at her and waiting to give her a chance to speak. When she didn't, I initiated.

"Hey," I said, quietly enough to avoid spooking her. "What's up?" I knew good and well what was up, but I wasn't going to say it unless she did. I didn't want to make things worse by reminding her.

She stared up at me for a second, probably questioning whether it was okay to look weak in front of a Career. I watched her patiently, letting my big eyes open bigger to make myself look more innocent. She apparently trusted me, because she untensed just a little and spoke. "I'm not going to win. I'm not getting home," she admitted to me quietly, looking back down to the ground. I noticed a few more tears drip from her eyes.

"You don't know that. The Careers definitely won't target you. I'll make sure of that. And you'll get plenty of sponsors. Let's go get them now," I said, slowly standing up. I gave her a hand up, easily able to lift her weight, and we were off. We left the Training Centre and all its boring stations behind, wandering out into the maze that was the Games Center.

"So throwing knives are actually pretty hard to learn - it'd be best to learn some simple snares, to keep yourself fed and protect yourself," I explained, rambling to Yvette while we looked for potential sponsors. I would have let her speak, but she needed time to compose herself, and I could tell she didn't want an awkward silence. So I told her all I knew about the Games, how to maximize her chances at winning. It was what she needed to hear.

* * *

 **Fun fact: Though totally intending to volunteer, Cassiopeia was Reaped. Luckily for her, no one volunteered.**

 **Please PM me with the outfit you thought was best in the Parade! If you don't have an account, reviewing will totes do.**


	21. So Many Outer-District Kids xx

**Trigger warning: Suicidal thoughts in Arkane's POV. If you can't read it I can PM the parts without the thoughts!**

* * *

 **Jacob Ezekiel (15) D9M**

The Capitol stank. Every single thing about it. From the people to the supplies they gave us, none of it was worth our time or our money. Of course, it wasn't optional. I had to spend my time in the Capitol whether or not I wanted to. I also had to give money and supplies to the Capitol, along with the rest of the District. I was surrounded by blood money, and it was horrible. People had _died_ to give me what I was now able to use until I died, too.

I thought about that while I was in the shower, washing the Parade off of myself. The water was steaming hot, a luxury almost nobody could afford in Nine. It felt amazing, especially when I was all scented up. That was almost worse than knowing I was surrounded by blood. Despite my best efforts, I had to admit that it was nice. I could feel layers of dead skin peel off, dirt and makeup all slipping off with ease. Any little thing my stylist had missed or added was wiped away, leaving me smelling like lavender in a room that was impossibly warm.

 _Fine,_ I thought to myself, stuck in a looping train of thought. I kept thinking of my parents, the sacrifices they had to make to give the Capitol the joys I was having. I kept thinking about all of the work I had done to get the Capitol where it was now, giving me a chance to enjoy myself. _Fine. If I'm stuck here, I may as well use it. The Capitol is going to regret ever letting me step foot in here._

Naturally, I was going to waste every single thing I could. The Capitol was going to pay Fabric for its mistakes through me - and I knew which things it got from the Districts. But bread? I'd leave that alone. Milk and orange juice? Those I ignored. Gemstones? Crunch crunch. I ordered two hundred pieces of chocolate. Those were Capitol-made; no District had the supplies or means to make such a delicacy. I ordered fruity candy and a random stone chair. I got stained glass brought to my room. Then, as soon as there were no other people in the room, I destroyed it all. I didn't want to hurt an innocent Avox, but I wanted to ruin a lot of things. I destroyed my bed, tearing out the feathers in it. I smashed the glass into smithereens and took a desk to the chair. I threw the chair out the window. Everything I could do to make the Capitol a mess, I did.

By the end, I was exhausted. It turned out that destroying a lifestyle took a lot of work. I hadn't eaten anything yet. I didn't want to accept food from the Capitol, even if it was the best food in the world. I hadn't slept on the bed; I had chosen to sleep on the floor. That hardly worked. The carpet was nicer than my bed. I wanted to ruin that, too, but I'd have to do it later. I collapsed onto the floor and finally relaxed, cringing when I landed on glass. Oh well. The Capitol surely had a way to fix that.

* * *

 **Lumara Hansen (17) D10F**

I looked completely average. That was a problem, by all accounts. I had to look insane, crazy, like something that could never come out of the Districts. After all, I wanted to blend in easily with the Capitolites, and they would never associate with someone who looked like a Ten kid. Unless that kid was a tribute, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid being. Tributes weren't allowed to leave the Games Building. Capitolites were.

My disguise wasn't too hard to get. Since I got everything for free, it was easy to dye my hair. I'd just have to cut it off before the Arena. Some brightly colored contacts were easy enough to find, and people swarmed to give me the dresses and jewelry I was after. Before I knew it, I looked nothing like myself. I was wearing a long purple gown, gaudy blue high heels, a pearl necklace, and eight bracelets. My hair was lime green, and my eyes were red. Nothing matched. Nothing "went." Basically, the disguise was perfect.

I walked toward the door of the building calmly, hoping that if I kept a straight face nobody would even question me. A Capitolite walked up to me and asked, "So, how's the hair dye feel? Sometimes it starts to itch after a little bit, but it'll leave in no time. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't itching yet."

Trying my best not to glare, I made my voice high-pitched and spoke. "Oh, it's just fine! I absolutely love this color. I want to see how it compares to the sky!" I kept up conversation with the random man the whole way out of the building, and then I was free. No guards questioned me. Nobody suspected. I stripped out of the dress and pulled off the contacts, then wandered the streets of the Capitol.

It took a long time to find what I was looking for. I wrapped my dress around my arm and reached out to grab the stray cat I had found. She was a big thing, hissing and clawing at me, but she couldn't get through the layers of Capitol fabric. I picked her up and carried her back to the building, wrapped tightly in the dress so no one could see her. Then I _was_ questioned, but I lied. I said I got lost; my dress had been ruined. I had to get back to training as soon as possible. For some reason, they let me. So I went back to the poison station, pulling out the cat and picking up a syringe.

* * *

 **Arkane Erransaw (16) D11M**

My eyes brimmed up with tears. I could barely contain myself, clenching and unclenching my fist and biting my lips. Only one hand was free. The other was tightly gripping the cause of my tears, ready to throw it. _He looked up at the rope, trying to consider what to do with himself. He could easily walk away. Or he could end all of his problems once and for all, the much easier solution. Only a couple people would care. But were they worth it?_

I couldn't stand it. For the first time in my life, I was reading a book. It was absolutely beautifully written. This Adam guy, he was human. He mattered as much as I did. He lived an even harder life than I did, and yet he wasn't unrealistic. No, he was perfectly real, and I wanted to save him. I wanted to help him. I hadn't known the written word could pack so much emotion, but seeing the boy I had just met in a book... It was breaking me. It was leaving me questioning my life and wondering whether I would ever be good enough to write something like that.

 _His hand lingered over the rope, not quite touching it. Why not turn toward the door? It wouldn't be hard to keep going. Mom would bake cookies as soon as he was home. They'd be gross, but she was always so happy when he came back. She always knew he was in danger._ I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him that no pain was worth taking your own life over. Hadn't I considered it? Growing up unloved, my parents not touching me, the thought ran through my head more than once. But things turned better. My parents _did_ love me, they just didn't show it. Adam's life would get better if he could just make himself wait.

 _He turned, looking toward the door. Five feet away, no more. An abandoned building, nobody was going to find it. His parents would never know he was dead. His dad would just miss his paycheck. The rope laid heavy in his hand, and he reached up to the rafters, tying it to them. One knot, two knots, three, his hands took over, knotting the rope until there was no slack left._ I let out a gasp as I turned the final page. The book just ended there? What kind of author did that?

I got up and ran to the shelves, getting help in finding the rest of the series. There were eleven books, eleven novels outlining Adam's pain. That was overwhelming. I needed to know that he would be okay. There was a chance I wouldn't make it back to Eleven to find out, and that was a chance I wasn't going to take. Instead, I started reading every novel I could, spending way too much time holed up in my room.

* * *

 **Amelia Gomez (17) D11F**

"Do you wanna be my ally?" Arkane asked me, surprisingly casually. I had shrugged at the time, knowing that finding an ally was always a good idea. After all, he was my District partner. The Capitol loved things like that, so we'd likely get allies.

"Why?" I asked, knowing it was awfully blunt. Most people tried to gauge whether the ally would be good for them. Most people would try to flaunt their strengths to make sure the ally didn't leave. I wanted to know why he thought I was an ally that was worth his time. He'd never admit it if he just wanted a body bag, but I'd be able to pick up on it.

"Jake's making a mega-alliance. We're almost big enough to take on the Careers, and we want every kid we can get. You seem pretty strong, and, to be honest, I think we could be an alliance inside of it. After all, we're going to need someone to turn to when we break up." I appreciated Arkane's honesty. He was as blunt as I was, getting straight to the point and not pretending to mean something he didn't. It _would_ be good to have a big alliance. It _would_ be good to have an alliance inside the alliance. So I nodded, holding out my hand for him to shake. It seemed like the right thing to do.

"All right. We're allies now. Who else is in the group?" I asked, wanting to know what he meant when he said "almost big enough to take on the Careers."

"Let's see... Me, you, Jake, Lumara, and Nyle," Arkane said, obviously trying to remember their names. It sure took him a while, but that made sense. They were new people, people he was likely hoping not to get attached to.

"Nyle?" I asked, not bothering to hide my surprise. "He volunteered. He's an _idiot._ Are you sure we want him in the group?" No Twelve in his right mind volunteered. That meant Nyle probably just wasn't in his right mind. He could make so many bad decisions, from burning our supplies to attacking the Careers. He was definitely risky business.

"We need all the people we can get. And we outnumber him. So we can roll with it," Arkane replied, lowering his voice. I nodded. I didn't like trying to trick people. Honestly was the best policy. But I could do it for long enough to make sure I made it back home safely. So I had an alliance inside my alliance, waiting for the larger one to fall apart.

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

I had a strong alliance. That was a good thing. Careers won not because they were strong on their own, but because they worked well together. If they didn't, a Career didn't win. That was the trend that had popped up in the Games over and over again. I was trained, but I still needed an alliance. One kid against twenty-three wasn't good odds. So I had a strong alliance, one I was ready to slip into the background of. I didn't need to be leader. I didn't need to be in a spot where I would be the one to blame if something went wrong. I just wanted someone watching my back if I got into a fight.

Despite my strong alliance, though, the Careers were intimidating. I saw them working with their weapons, knowing exactly what to do to get a killing blow. It was amazing to watch, but I was worried. I wasn't that good. Even though I had training. So all of my untrained allies wouldn't be as good as they were. We wouldn't be predictable, for sure, but it was still not promising to know that someone so strong was going to be in the Arena with us, constantly hunting for their next kill.

Holding my weapon, I practiced. I hit the dummy over and over, trying to figure out the best hits, the ones that were easiest for me. I didn't want to think about the best overall, the best for the average person. I had to pinpoint my skills, hone them to perfection. It was my only chance at winning. It was my only chance at getting back home, reminding my parents about me. They couldn't forget about me. They couldn't pretend their son didn't exist. I wouldn't allow it, dragging myself back to them over and over again. I was a reminder of their mistakes. But being gay wasn't one of them.

 _Slash! Slash! Slash!_ My sword hit the dummy over and over again, leaving long, trailing marks. I didn't like where it hit, though. I tried to flick my wrist each hit, guessing at where I'd land. Rarely did a killing blow happen. If I got into a fight with a Career, I had to get in a killing blow right away. Otherwise, there was a great chance that they'd beat me to it.

 _That'd be permanent._ A little bit of the thought clicked in my mind. If I died in the Arena, it was permanent. It wasn't some game I could change my mind about. Of course, I had known that all along. It just hadn't fully processed, the reality of the sentence never quite settling in my mind. I could _die._ I could die for good, forever. Just like that, I'd blip out of existence, never to be seen again. I didn't want that at all. For a quick second, maybe the first time in my life, I just wanted Chevron.


	22. The Age of Innocence

**Lexi Circuit (18) D3F**

 _Well this sucks._ Being Reaped in my last year of eligibility certainly hadn't been in my life plans, but there was nothing to be done about it. I was just going to have to deal with it and figure out what to do. I knew I'd need allies, and I knew I'd need to train. I also knew, though, that no matter what I did, one week of training would not a Victor make. My one measly week of training wasn't going to let me take down Careers, even though I was already fit. I needed weapons, and I was going to need a lot of them. I needed sponsors.

 _All right then. A cute ally. A useful one, but a cute one,_ I thought to myself, my game plan forming as I went. There weren't too many kiddos this time around, just Yvette, Nixon, and Raven. I knew right off that a girl would be most up to my speed, as sexist as it was. Girls were easy to talk to. Girls were fun. Boys could easily be, but a thirteen-year-old boy and an eighteen-year-old stripped likely wouldn't mesh well. _All right. Yvette's up first._

It didn't take me too long to find Yvette. I had been in hand-to-hand, but I figured she was going to be in a survival station. Kids seemed to like those. Sure enough, she was right where I'd expect a kid to be: the edible plants station. She was also looking at poison, which was understandable. Anyone who really liked plants would really like just about every plant. I walked over to her and waved, smiling my brightest. I wasn't trying to manipulate her, but I couldn't be intimidating.

"Hello! Are you looking for allies?" I asked her, knowing after I said it that that would seem shifty. I was eighteen. Adults didn't look for child allies. Still, she might not mind. Maybe she'd assume that I was just an idiot, or that I had a little sister.

"Sure!" Yvette replied, smiling right back at me. I was a bit surprised. I would have taken longer to decide if I was in her shoes. Still, I didn't mind her enthusiasm. It'd be great to work with.

"All right! What are you working on here? There aren't too many plants to learn about in Three..." I began, finding my mood eased by hers. She was light. She seemed happy. She wasn't training just to train; she cared about all of the plants she was working on. That was amazing. I found myself, the mature adult, being encouraged by a little kid about to be sent to a fight to the death. I hoped she could keep encouraging me, but far more, I hoped I would never have to encourage her. I wouldn't be able to.

* * *

 **Yvette Ishi (12) D7F**

Lexi seemed pretty cool. She talked freely about her life in Three, something I wouldn't have expected from someone with her past. "It was just a nine-to-five" was one of my favorite quotes from her. I never worked a nine-to-five. I was twelve, so that meant a whole lot of nothing to me. Still, it was neat. It was amazing that she had lived a hard life and wasn't scarred at all, from what I could tell. It threw my relatively easy life into a little bit of perspective, and it made me really want to make Lexi some tea. She had long since earned a break.

"We're going to have a tea party!" I told Lexi once the Training Center closed. We had both been spending a lot of time training, focusing all the way. Lexi had learned a whole lot of plants while she was with me, and she taught me a little bit of self-defense. I learned the right defensive stance and a block! Our break after training was quite well-earned, and I wasn't going to let Lexi spend it being the stoic person she seemed to want to be. I was going to awaken her inner child, the one I knew she had been suppressing, even if it meant making an idiot of myself. It was what a good friend would do.

We walked around freely for a while, trying to decide what supplies we should have for the tea party. Lexi said we should try to get sponsors, which I knew meant that I should be super cute so people sponsored her. I was smart enough to know why someone her age would ally with someone mine. I thought we should take the only break we were going to get before the Games and get sponsors once we were in the Arena. That was the happier decision.

"Is that... Ginger?" I heard Lexi asked. I looked to where she was tilting her head, and sure enough, it was President Ginger. I looked over in amazement, watching her casually drinking tea and talking with... a boy. A normal, District-looking boy. I walked over to her, despite Lexi telling me not to. It was a good time to make myself a connection.

"Hello, Ms. Ginger!" I said, taking a quick bow like a good girl was supposed to. "Could I invite you to my room to have tea?" I figured she would have to say no. I figured it would be considered unsafe to be in the room of two likely angry tributes.

"Of course! I'll have to bring my bodyguard here with me, but that sounds amazing." I jumped back in amazement. President Ginger actually said yes? I was going to have the President over for tea? That sounded fake. That sounded like something out of a happy movie. Maybe the Games Building wasn't going to be awful.

* * *

 **TWO important notes. One: Yeah, Yvette isn't a crybaby. I broke her character because Tina needed the scene.**

 **Two: Please leave a review or PM me if you're reading! It's good for me to know who's still around ^_^ It doesn't have to be much - just a "Yep, still kicking!"**


	23. Loners the First

**Adair Brites (16) D5M**

The Capitol had one of the nicest couches in the world. I couldn't know that for sure, because I wasn't sure about One's couches, or Two's, but I couldn't think of a way that a couch could possibly get better than the one the Capitol had. That made it hard for me to sit down to watch Games re-runs, because I knew there was a good chance I could fall asleep. The smartest people knew themselves, and I knew that that was an easy problem to run into. That couch was _comfy._

 _The twenty-second Games. The twenty-first Games. The twentieth Games._ I skipped past the last three years. I had watched those ones like a hawk, stopping often to stare the the screens in the District Center and actually watching the television at home that we were required to have. I needed to know what I had gotten out of, and what there was a chance I'd run into the next year. I had never thought it would come in handy, but it sure had. I got to save myself hours of tape time by skipping those three and heading straight to the nineteenth, the one that was awfully fuzzy for me.

Most of the deaths in the nineteenth Games came from things that could have been anticipated. I watched as tributes that ran into the Bloodbath were killed, just like any outer-District kid who ran in would expect. I watched while people who made terrible decisions, from stupidity and lack of common sense, died from hypothermia. I watched people get in fist-fights with the Careers and end up losing. I knew I couldn't anticipate everything that happened in the Games, and there would be a lot of things for me to keep track of, but a lot of things that killed people in the past could be avoided.

 _Watch that._ I had to watch myself, my mentality. A little bit of pride was the death of a lot of people. _Sebastian. Taking on two Careers at once. Gadeloth. Giving someone a weapon during a fight._ I couldn't assume that everything in the Games was going to be common sense, and I couldn't assume that all of my enemies would lack it. A lot of people did, for sure. I knew that from experience. But not everyone would, so a lot of people would have an easy time avoiding my traps.

 _The tenth Games._ That one was thirteen years ago. I was only three when it happened, but I had heard a lot about it. It was weird. It was an indoor Arena, monumentally annoying everyone who had spent all their time learning survival skills. I recognized that that could happen to me, but I had to doubt it. Survival skills were important. That was guaranteed. And there was only the slimmest of chances that knowing my way around plants wasn't going to come in handy.

* * *

 **Cecilia Q. (16) D5F**

I walked into the Training Centre with my head held high, day after day. It was amazing to watch the other tributes back down just a little bit, surprised that a Five was so confident. It wasn't that weird for me to be confident. It made perfect sense. I was practiced in throwing knives. I knew the basic stance and basic throwing. I knew the right type of psychology to use to freak someone out, to get them to back off instead of attacking me. Most people did, sure. It was pretty common sense. But it was still a huge confidence booster for me to know that _I_ was one of the people with common sense.

Throwing knives was where I mostly stuck, practicing with the target for hours on end. It was soothing, hitting the target, picking the knife up, hitting the target again. It was easy to get it on the target somewhere, though harder to get it anywhere specific. I didn't care about that, though. I just liked the rhythm, the ease with which I could keep going, constantly sticking the knife where it had to go, or within a twenty inch radius.

"Hey! I'm Rhiannon. Would you be interested in allying with me?" the girl from Six said, admittedly surprising me. It was lucky for her that she didn't get a knife in the chest. I looked over at her casually, holding the knife at hip height and glaring at her slightly. I needed her to know I wasn't someone to be messed with. My options were that or disappearing, and I definitely wasn't one to disappear.

"Frick off," I spat, totally disinterested. I didn't need a worthless Six trying to slow me down during the Games. I was my own person, and she would only hurt me. She glared at me for a second before backing off, and I almost expected her to spit. It would have been reasonable. I would have gouged one of her eyes out, sure, but it would still have been reasonable.

I noticed a lot of whispers about me after that. Apparently people didn't usually spit at people who asked them to ally with them, or glare at everyone who approached them, unless they were Careers. I didn't mind. People could whisper all they want. They could spit insults at me and try to get people not to sponsor me. It wouldn't matter. I didn't really want to kill anyone, but I was willing to. And I could kill them all if I had to.

* * *

 **Nixon Hankook (13) D6M**

Most tributes went to the Training Center every day they could. They spent every moment of their days that was allowed trying to get any little fraction of a skill they could manage, and for almost everyone, it was worthless. Nothing they did was going to matter. They were going to go to the Games, and for all I knew, they would play eenie-meenie-miney-moe to see who won. Then we'd all go home, and our training would never come in handy again. It was as simple as that. And that was why I had no intention of spending time at the Center, except maybe going there once or twice to keep up appearances. Some of the Capitol food was really nice, and I wouldn't mind getting sent some in the Games.

I wanted to climb to the roof of the Games building. It wasn't very hard. The Games building had an elevator that went all the way to the top floor. For some reason there was a staircase to the roof, but I didn't care. I would have climbed a hundred flights of stairs to get to the top. I had to see what the Capitol was. I had to prove my theories, once and for all. I had to know that the Capitol really was fake, just like I had expected. I knew the Capitolites were. No one would act like that unless they were robots. I knew President's mansion was real. I just didn't know about anything else.

Like I expected, the roof of the building was beautiful. Lights totally dazzled me, shining from all sides, and the quiet hum of a forcefield could be heard from around me. I knew what would happen if I tried to jump. Tributes had done it in the past, and they just bounced back up to the roof, delicately landing where they belonged. I almost wanted to try anyways, though. There were hundreds of buildings around me, maybe thousands. They were huge, shining like stars in front of me. Worst of all, they were real.

 _Was it all just a coping mechanism? Did you know it was real?_ My whole world was crumbling before my eyes. The Capitol was real. That couldn't be right. I had always assumed that the videos were faked, that the Capitol didn't exist. Nobody could hoard that much wealth. That much wealth just didn't exist. Nobody could condone the Games, think they were a good idea. No one could do anything the Capitol did. So I thought it was fake. That was the most sensible route I could take. But it wasn't. The Capitol was real, and all of the buildings were in front of me, as if to prove it.

So I jumped. I knew I wouldn't die, and that was the reason I was willing to. I just needed to get out my energy, to release some of the insanity that was going on mentally by changing it to be physical. Sure enough, the forcefield bounced me back. It didn't hurt. It hardly felt like anything at all. So I did it again and again, loving every moment of weightlessness, no matter how short it was. I ignored my tears. I ignored my terror. I ignored the heart-wrenching idea that maybe the Games were real. I focused on the little bit of happiness I could force myself to feel.

* * *

 **Rhiannon Raimers (16) D6F**

Tributes weren't supposed to leave the Training Center. It wasn't allowed, and there was supposed to be no way to get out of it. But legends were told about people who managed to get out somehow, people who couldn't hope to escape into the Capitol but still knew what the Capitol was like. Sure, there was also Rodney, who got to both see the Capitol inside the Games and outside, but he was an outlier. I was probably going to die, but I wasn't going to do that without trying to see the best view I could think of.

I had already seen one person get away with it. I watched Lumara sneak out, and naturally, I didn't rat her out. Snitches get stitches. I would have told on Cecilia if she had tried, though. Jerks get what they deserve. But because of Lumara, I knew what I could do. I didn't know if it would work twice in the same year, so I wasn't going to try it, but I had ideas. Bits and pieces decided to work for me, like looking less District-like, but I wasn't going to just hope my wardrobe would get me into any situation I wanted.

"Hey!" I yelled out, running up to a Capitolite group and waving brightly. "What are you guys up to?" I didn't care about their answer at all, and it was hard to pay attention to everything they said, but I listened politely, smiling and nodding at the appropriate times.

"We were hoping to meet a tribute! Here you are. What do you think of the Capitol?" one of the brightly colored men asked me, and I took my cue.

"I think the Capitol has been absolutely beautiful! I just wish I could see more of it. After all, I'm stuck in this building," I said, twirling my hair. I hated it. I wanted to recoil from myself. But I figured that was what would get me the best reaction.

"Oh! That would be neat. But it _is_ against the rules. Maybe once you're Victor!" the man continued, and I forced a pout to come onto my lips.

"But it would be _so_ nice to get out now, and... And I would never forget it! I'm sure there'd be a way to repay you," I said, really meaning that I would give him a thumbs-up during the Games.

"I guess that would be cool," the guy said, and all of his friends nodded. They surrounded me like a gaggle of geese and snuck me out of the Games Building, leaving me on my own once they had flaunted me to some friends. I could have ran. I could have tried to disappear forever, but I had to settle on a realistic goal. There was probably already a tracker on me. I couldn't really get away anymore. I was just going to watch the sunset.

* * *

 **Raven Keats VI (14) D7M**

I met a random Capitolite stranger. I didn't know what was up with him, or why he was so okay with being around me, but I was happy to talk to him. He didn't seem to care that I have tuberculosis, which I figured was neat. It was probably because Capitolites had some medication that they just chose not to give to outer-District kids. I didn't really mind the reason, though. I needed human interaction. I needed a chance to talk to someone who I wouldn't kill or chase away just by being myself, and this Lumen guy seemed just as weird as I was.

"So you really believe in multiple universes, huh? And timelines? What would you do if you got murdered or something? Like, would you be mad in your next life, or would you just roll with it?" Lumen asked me, using his body to shield me from the guards. We were exiting the Games building, which was awesome, and surprisingly easy to do. Apparently Lumen never got questioned for anything. He said something along the lines of being the Capitol's pet, mentioning that they'd never want to make a scene about him. I didn't really care. I just thought it would be neat to go to his place and play the piano he said he had. Maybe I'd even meet the President. He said he lived near her.

"I don't know. I don't know if I'll remember this life in the next one. I mean, I don't remember anything about my previous life, but maybe I'm not a reincarnation. Maybe I'm just the first in a line, and I'll be able to remember this next time. Or maybe I'll get revived and have no idea who murdered me. I guess I'll find out pretty soon, though," I said, trying to keep up with Lumen's questions. He sure had a lot of them. He talked about life and death and the afterlife, asking me if I believed in ghosts amongst other things, and whether I'd haunt anyone if given the chance.

"Huh. That's pretty neat. Here, we have to turn here. Really, I mostly believe in one life. I think that after one life you're gone. Still, the idea of ghosts is a little funny. I had to kill someone once. Life-or-death decision. But I still worry that maybe she's haunting me. She was a murderer, though. So what could she do to guilt me?" Lumen said, leading me into an alley. It seemed awfully dark for a place near the President, but I trusted this Lumen guy. He was weird, but pretty neat.

I felt a sudden cold blow to my back, then another, then another. At first I assumed I was being punched, but then I felt something dripping down my back. A coughing fit took me over, and I found myself on my knees, gasping for breath that I knew wouldn't come.

"But it doesn't have to make sense. She's haunting me no matter what. I guess maybe you will, too. The problem is, she said she'll stop haunting me once I kill another person. But that's two for one ghost! So maybe I'll keep being haunted forever." Lumen's voice rang quietly in my ears, dulled by the oncoming terror of death. Could he do that? Could he just kill a tribute?

 _He was a tribute,_ the thought finally clicked. _He_ _doesn't exist._

* * *

 **24th Place: Alfred "Raven" Keats VI - Murdered by Lumen**

 **All right peeps. I've been planning this for a long time. I want a _subplot._ And here we are. Sure, there isn't much of a secret (I needed a reason as to _why_ the murderer was so cool with it, after all), but I think it's going to be neat. After all, for all official reasons, Lumen doesn't exist anymore - he died three years ago. To any newcomers, Lumen was a tribute in Running Man: The 20th Hunger Games. He killed two people, including one he wasn't technically allowed to kill, and has been a friend of Ginger ever since he was nice to her.**

 **Alfred was totally cool. There was plenty to him, and I didn't kill him because he was undeserving of the crown or anything. He was a neat guy, and he probably could have lasted a while. However, AmericanPi was _totally awesome_ and she sent him in for me for the express purpose of me doing a pre-Games kill. So thanks a hundred times over for that, because now we have this.**

 **Please give me info on whether this was a good idea, whether it was well-executed, all that jazz. It's my first time doing much of a subplot, and it's all pretty interesting to try to learn. So if you have any (hopefully constructive) criticism, I could definitely use it!**


	24. Loners 20

**Funny little head-canon: Somehow or another I got the idea that tributes get a week to train. I don't know where it came from, but it kinda stuck, so I guess everyone in my stories is a little stronger than they should be.**

* * *

 **Isaac Carder (14) D8M**

I looked up from the nutrition station when I heard a loud alarm blaring through the room. Something must have been amiss, because Draco called us all in to a meeting of the tributes, as well as a handful of Gamemakers. I went in because I had to, and because I figured it was something important. After all, they were taking precious time out of our training schedule. I needed to know what that was all about.

"Some tributes this year have left the Games Building. Most years we've been extremely lenient about this, knowing when it happened and not being bothered to stop it, because no harm was done. This year, however, one tribute left and hasn't come back. Alfred will not be participating in this year's Games because he was murdered. From here on out, any tribute caught leaving the building will immediately be terminated. Thank you," Draco said to us once we were all in the room. I listened, enraptured. I had intended to leave the Games building. I needed to see what the Capitol was like on the outside, what I had been missing out on. And I could have easily gotten murdered, just like poor Raven.

After the announcement we were dismissed, the Training Centre was closed for the day, and we were promised a make-up day on another day. I couldn't figure out why the Capitol would do that. We were all bound to die sometime, almost all of us within a week or two. It was still nice, though. I could spend the whole rest of the day goofing off, enjoying what little freedom I had in the Games Building, without feeling any guilt about it. I wasn't slacking. My family wouldn't suffer because I wasn't working. I was just spending my time how I was supposed to.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I didn't know where there was a garden, but I knew the Games Building was bound to have one, and I was going to find it. It would be huge and maybe even gaudy, but it would be beautiful. That was the promise of the Capitol. Eight was smelly and ugly, a place where dreams were shattered and broken until they were small enough that the District could handle them. In the Capitol, everything was realistic, because nothing was.

Once I found the garden, I laid down in the grass. That was the best feeling in the world. It was soft and prickly, and it seemed to be lightly petting my body. It was cool and nice, the world around me slowing down while I stared up at a fake projection of a clear sky. Clouds were projected above me, with flowers and trees surrounding me. It was everything I could have hoped for. It was everything I had given up on.

* * *

 **Lacey Evans (16) D8F**

The Games Building was beautiful. It was way better when I was free to explore it to my heart's content, given a whole day to do whatever I wanted without a worry that I would run out of time. There was even a chance it would be fun, a real break from being worried about the Games. I doubted that, because there was never a complete break from stress, but a girl could hope. I was willing to let myself do at least that.

Like every other tribute, I was amazed at how large the building was. I freely wandered up and down the stairs, using elevators, escalators, staircases, and sometimes just jumping ledges. Some of them were short enough that it was safe. I hopped from store to store, not really caring what I was running into. Some of the stores were full of more toys than I had ever seen in the District, more than an Eight could ever hope to afford. Some of them had considerably less child-friendly stuff, and I didn't stick around in those. I wasn't interested in that.

Before I knew it, I had explored multiple entire floors of the building. There were tens, maybe hundreds left, but I was distracted from my random exploration when I saw the sun slowly beginning to set. The window I saw it through was beautiful, and probably reinforced. No more tributes could leave the building. I was realizing, though, that I couldn't even go somewhere else in the building. I was hopelessly lost, totally unaware of where I was as compared to where the Training Centre or my room was.

"Heya! Could you help me find the Training Centre?" I asked a random Capitolite, smiling my brightest. She smiled at me, squealed, and waved three of her friends over. All of her friends waved friends over, and soon there was a huge group surrounding me. People wanted to ask me tons of questions, when I just wanted to go to my room.

"Oh! You're Lacey! What do you think of the Capitol?"

"Oh! You're doing so well so far! Are you ready for your interview?"

"What are you doing in private sessions?"

"Do you need sponsors?"

I ignored all of the questions, looked over the crowd, and widened my eyes dramatically. "Is that Prosper?" I yelled, pointing my finger at a wall. All of the Capitolites turned and left, and I ran off before they had a chance to realize that I was lying like a rug. While I didn't want them to be mad at me, I also couldn't handle quite that many people at once.

 _Okay. You're finding your way home on your own._

* * *

 **Jade Hart (15) D9F**

Once we were back in the Training Centre, I was ready to be scarier than ever. I knew my abilities, and I know how easily I could scare people. All the tributes were already in a tizzy at the thought of a murderer on the loose, and I could easily use that to my advantage. Sure, nobody was allowed in or out of the Games Building. Sure, the President and her friends were even staying inside, knowing it was probably the safest building in the Capitol. The other tributes didn't seem to know that, and I wasn't going to remind them.

Yvette was easy to find, spending time at a medicine stand. It was very basic first-aid, something I could have spent time on, but she seemed bored. I was going to fix that. I walked up behind her, my footsteps barely audible, then stood next to her, quiet as a mouse. I started working beside her, not saying anything, but sometimes staring at her hands for a couple of seconds before looking back to my own.

She spooked. She looked up at me and jumped, smiled, and then moved away when I showed no signs of interacting. That was pretty fair. She was probably heading to talk to Lexi, who wasn't on my list right then. I just didn't happen to know where she was going to be, and there were bigger fish to fry than an overconfident Three. Like the weakest link in the Careers.

Rio was by the harpoons, which impressed me. Most tributes didn't hang out around those. He seemed a little bit sad, working all by himself. I didn't mind being alone, but I knew that most other people did. I stood beside him, not throwing any harpoons or whatever it is those things are for, but getting barely inside his personal space, knowing my body heat would slowly alert him to my presence. It could take multiple long seconds for him to notice, but I had patience. I had plenty of time.

Sure enough, Rio noticed. He jumped, just like Yvette had, and stared at me for a second before pointing the harpoon at me. "Don't try to sneak up on me. You're gonna get stabbed," he said, trying to be threatening. I heard him faking. He was making his voice deeper than it had to be. He was trying to hide that it was shaking. He was pretending to be making eye contact while really looking for his allies, the rest of the Careers. None of those would get past me. That was expressly why I chose to scare him.

* * *

 **Indie Rayne (15) D12F**

"This is your salad fork, and this is your dessert fork. Your entree fork is always in between. Work your way in! This one´s a dessert spoon, and this is a soup spoon..." Bellepheron was trying her hardest to teach me Capitol etiquette, though she didn't seem to understand why I was interested in learning them. She had tried to insist that I should have been focusing on survival skills, but I thought it was funny to watch her try to explain things to me when I was acting as dumb as a rock.

"So... I eat with the front of the fork, then the back?" I asked, crunching my eyebrows together and pursing my lips. It was the funniest thing to play dumb, watching to see how the escort would react. Some people laughed and explained. Some people got flustered. Some people gave up, knowing that I was only pretending not to understanding. It was all quite a learning experience, far more so than trying to listen to which fork did what.

"You always eat with the front," Bellepheron said, a little more edge to her voice. "Though I suppose you know that. Should I go train with Nyle?" She got up and began to walk away, though it looked like she was faking. I didn't know for sure, though, and I wasn't going to risk calling her bluff. Escorts were important, especially if you didn't have a mentor.

 _So she's a smart_ person, I slowly realized. I never would have guessed that a Capitolite could be smart, or that one could be sassy. I figured they were all bubbleheads, knowing nothing more than the parties the Capitol threw. It took me a second to find a reaction to Bellepheron's quip, since I wasn't expecting it, and she seemed to take that as her cue to leave.

"No! I'm sorry. I thought it would be funny, but I see that it isn't." My apology was true. I couldn't get a good reaction out of Bellepheron, for one thing, but also, I actually felt rude for assuming she was just some idiot. She had a brain. She often chose not to use it, but she was capable of it. After all, she could easily catch me in an act.

"If you're sure you're actually trying to learn, then I'll keep trying to teach. You don't care about silverware, so let's focus on other etiquette. The Capitol never uses handshakes. Only freaks try to make immediate contact with another person. Instead, smile and wave..." Bellepheron spoke, seeming much more at ease. She wanted to teach me. And, somehow, I wanted to learn.

* * *

 **Radian Sempli (16) D3M**

Everything in the Capitol seemed to be a mess. People were running around a lot, frantically trying to make everyone feel safe and comfortable and apologizing to people about the fact that they couldn't leave the Games Building. I saw Avoxes frantically cooking and cleaning everything, likely feeling the stress of their higher-ups, and some Capitolites actually looking scared. Most of them were too stupid to be very worried about there being a murderer on the loose, one who clearly had nothing to lose, but some of them picked up on the danger.

I could practically feel the stress coming of the Avoxes in waves, and I didn't like that. They didn't deserve to be so worried about something they didn't even do, something that they couldn't have stopped. They mostly just cooked and cleaned, tending to people's wants, but they all seemed worried that there was going to be an execution if they messed up. I don't know how exactly, but I found myself wandering over to them, watching their mannerisms and helping them clean.

For the most part, the workers seemed to consider me a nuisance. They quietly glared at me, sometimes redid my work right after I had finished it, and generally tried to make me leave. I was surprised that they were willing to be so rude, but I didn't totally mind. They were people just like I was, even if they were a bit different than me. I wasn't going to be deterred, though. I spoke to them, knowing I wouldn't get a response.

"I want to do this," I said, keeping my voice strong. "Housework helps me calm down. Plus, doing the dishes is so _simple._ I love it!" I was still met with glares, but people calmed down just a little. I was surprised to find that I could pick up on their messages, watching how they used exaggerated body language to get their points across. They'd point quickly, shrug their shoulders way too far, and roll their eyes like their intent was to dislocate them. They definitely talked. They just couldn't speak.

"That language is the coolest thing! Could I learn some of that?" I asked, figuring that it was worth a try, even though the Avoxes would probably say no. It was amazing trying to keep up with them, picking up on a language that only they spoke. They gave each other side-eye, all trying to decide if I was allowed to know what they were saying, then pointed to their eyes and hand me a towel.

 _I have to watch while I work? I can so do that. Just gotta get this done and learn a whole new language! If only I had an ally to share it with, too... But they might not want me sharing. It's okay._

* * *

 **Note! Some of these people still want allies. Hit me and the other submitter up if you think your tribute could ally well with them :D**

 **Radian, Rhiannon, Isaac, Lacey and maybe Theodore haven't said they won't ally, at the very least.**


	25. Private Session Report

**UTMOST IMPORTANCE**

 **TO: MS. PRESIDENT VISPASIAN GINGER**

 **FROM: DRACO STILLETO** and Cordelia Stuart again, haha

 **PRIVATE SESSION REPORT**

 **GAMES: 23RD**

 **TRIBUTES:**

* * *

 **DISTRICT ONE MALE**

 **NAME:** Prosper Mallister

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Sparring, painting **camouflage?**

 **ASSESSMENT:** Prosper sparred quickly and proficiently, then shook his head, said "There's no way that will impress them," and switched to painting. He painted an almost hyper-realistic painting, then got frustrated, threw white on it and started trying again.

 **STRENGTHS:** Sparring, painting, Career

 **WEAKNESSES:** Low self-esteem, depression, likely to become unhinged

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Prosper had a life of poverty in One, which is rare but not unheard of. He suffered some abuse and now has depression.

 **ODDS:** 10:1

 **SCORE:** 10

 **NOTES:** It was really good camouflage **Dude I don't look that real**

* * *

 **DISTRICT ONE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Alexandria St. John

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Cat claws, logic

 **ASSESSMENT:** Alexandria really knew how to use her claws, taking her time and slowly whittling away at a mid-hard trainer. She knew when to dart away and showed that she was willing to fight dirty, something some Careers lack.

 **STRENGTHS:** Strong District ties, Career, knows more than just fighting

 **WEAKNESSES:** Empathetic, doesn't know real survival skills

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean **Already?**

 **ODDS:** 12:1 **No**

 **SCORE:** 9 haha **nonono**

 **NOTES:** I want a St. John ring now **That's so last week**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWO MALE**

 **NAME:** Gallant Deacon

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** So much. So so much.

 **ASSESSMENT:** Gallant knew how to do a lot. He showed off a whole bunch of weapons on dummies, more than my Capitolite brain could be bothered to count, and flaunted a ton of survival skills. Granted, I'm too lazy to rewatch the tape to see if he got everything right, but he looked like he knew what he was doing.

 **STRENGTHS:** Everything apparently, confidence

 **WEAKNESSES:** Probably not particularly good at any one thing, tends to jump away more than attack (and will likely lose sponsors due to this)

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean! Low self-esteem, but no real trauma **But why tho? You a Two?**

 **ODDS:** 10:1

 **SCORE:** 10

 **NOTES:** Did you cram all week? **Are you on drugs?**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWO FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Cassiopeia Palassaqua

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Throwing knives

 **ASSESSMENT:** Cassiopeia did indeed throw knives. She hit the bullseye a couple of times but appeared very nervous and often missed, a fact that will most definitely not serve her well in the Arena.

 **STRENGTHS:** Career, basic weapons knowledge, likely to get sponsors

 **WEAKNESSES:** Anxious, not confident, unlikely to know survival skills

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** While she has noticeably low self-esteem, Cassiopeia shows no real mental illness.

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** What's with all the underconfident ones this year? **And we're not even past the Careers**

* * *

 **DISTRICT THREE MALE**

 **NAME:** Radian Sempli

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Obstacle course, knives

 **ASSESSMENT:** Radian did well enough on the obstacle course, able to do basic agility and not much else. He didn't fail or exceed. He did rather poorly with the knives, hardly managing to hit the dummy. **You should note that he wasn't using throwing knives.** Yeah he wasn't using throwing knives.

 **STRENGTHS:** Knives are scary, climbing things, can go under the radar

 **WEAKNESSES:** How are you that bad at knives, climbing steep things, meeting any other tribute

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** He's lazy as heck but sane

 **ODDS:** 48:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** At least he's not underconfident **Couldn't be if he tried**

* * *

 **DISTRICT THREE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Lexi Cicuit

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Basic hand-to-hand, upper body strength

 **ASSESSMENT:** Lexi started off by climbing a pole using just her hands, hoisting herself up as she want and doing an intricate pole dance. She explained that she wasn't seducing us; she was flaunting her strength. Then she got into a fight with a mid-mid trainer, showing powerful punches but little form.

 **STRENGTHS:** Physical strength, beauty, agility

 **WEAKNESSES:** Actual fighting, survival skills, might get Capitol hate **From the few sexist pigs there are left**

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Lexi is totally sane **and well-adjusted for a stripper**

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** I _can_ see why you're a stripper **Those thighs could crack my skull like an egg**

* * *

 **DISTRICT FOUR MALE**

 **NAME:** Rio Ryine

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Trident, harpoon, traps, poison

 **ASSESSMENT:** Rio seemed a bit rushed on the trident and harpoon, but he did a fair job with both of them. The harpoon is a far-range weapon, so we noted that for use. His traps were okay, the knots imperfect but the set-up good, and he seemed to have a fair knowledge of poison. He nearly managed to poison himself.

 **STRENGTHS:** Poison, trident, traps

 **WEAKNESSES:** Kinda dumb, leaps before looking, young

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean as a whistle

 **ODDS:** 16:1

 **SCORE:** 8

 **NOTES: What do you mean you'll note the harpoon?** Shut up Cordelia

* * *

 **DISTRICT FOUR FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Argentina Hudson

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Trident, throwing stars, throwing knives, sword, lifting weights, running the gauntlet, running laps, identifying edible plants

 **ASSESSMENT:** Whoa **Whoa** Whoa **Whoa** Argentina did, to say it bluntly, amazing. She had impeccable form on everything she showed, easily getting bullseyes almost every time she threw and able to lift weights far more than any other Career. She ran at high speeds with ease and got a 97% on the edible plants test, the second-highest I've ever seen

 **STRENGTHS:** Even more everything than Gallant, super pretty, crud-ton of sponsors

 **WEAKNESSES:** Other Careers might not like her I guess, could maybe come off as annoying **yeah if you're a dick**

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Of course she's sane _she's perfect_

 **ODDS:** 6:1

 **SCORE:** 11

 **NOTES:** How is one individual so perfect? **She would have been invited to the Capitol in good time**

* * *

 **DISTRICT FIVE MALE**

 **NAME:** Adair Brites

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Fire-making, running, daggers

 **ASSESSMENT:** Adair made a fire, though it took him a couple tries. He showed little frustration at his failures and tried to sweet-talk us into thinking they were intentional. He ran at fairly high speeds, higher than I'd expect from a Five though lower than a Career, and he seemed to have a basic comprehension of a dagger, knowing simple stances.

 **STRENGTHS:** Dagger, fire-making, manipulation **yeah we know bozo**

 **WEAKNESSES:** Could easily walk into a bad situation, not particularly strong, other survival skills

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean! **Like they all are :(**

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** You can't convince me you meant to drop the spark **But it was a show of _patience_ and _bravery_**

* * *

 **DISTRICT FIVE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Cecilia Q.

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Throwing a knife

 **ASSESSMENT:** Exactly one knife was thrown. It hit the bullseye **It was a fluke**

 **STRENGTHS:** Throwing exactly one knife

 **WEAKNESSES:** Anything else, apparently. Ticking off Gamemakers by being cocky.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Psychologist says she's sane, but anyone who does that sure isn't

 **ODDS:** 36:1

 **SCORE:** 5

 **NOTES:** I'm required to give you something decent for showing a weapon **But she showed literally one** And I guess you're confident

* * *

 **DISTRICT SIX MALE**

 **NAME:** Nixon Hankook

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Edible plants, finding water, trivia, insanity

 **ASSESSMENT:** Nixon found a handful of edible plants, sweating wildly and clearly wanting to leave the room. He failed horribly at the water station and finally put his hands on his head and started spouting trivia, saying "None of this can be real," "Your heart is a muscle the size of a rat," and "Your brain's about four times the size of a cat's."

 **STRENGTHS:** Knows what water is, is capable of finding approximately three edible plants, can scream loudly

 **WEAKNESSES:** Seems to be going insane, can scream loudly, no skills

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** The psychologist says he's sane, but has had "odd coping mechanisms" and "possible delusions." I can't understand how that equates to sane.

 **ODDS:** 300:1

 **SCORE:** 2

 **NOTES:** This is real, bucko **Does "none of this" include me?**

* * *

 **DISTRICT SIX FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Rhiannon Raimers

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Climbing wall, throwing knives

 **ASSESSMENT:** Rhiannon was very good at climbing the climbing wall, likely due to her practice in Six. Her throwing knives were all right, likely enough to scare off a tribute, though not enough to keep her fed in the Arena.

 **STRENGTHS:** Climbing walls, throwing knives, height makes her intimidating

 **WEAKNESSES:** Other survival skills, trouble with the Capitol, hotheaded

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** But who tries to escape Six to go to a poorer District? Who does that?

* * *

 **DISTRICT SEVEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Alfred Keats VI

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** N/A

 **ASSESSMENT:** N/A

 **STRENGTHS:** N/A

 **WEAKNESSES:** N/A

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** N/A

 **ODDS:** 0:0

 **SCORE:** 0

 **NOTES:** RIP **Oof**

* * *

 **DISTRICT SEVEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Yvette Ishi

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Teas, poisons, medicines

 **ASSESSMENT:** Yvette showed a vast knowledge of teas, poisons, and medicines. She got every plant right on the edible plants test, knew what many of the poisons did, and knew which plants would work best for poultices and healing, likely due to her medical history in Seven. She offered to make us tea, but we were required to politely decline due to the recent murder.

 **STRENGTHS:** Poison, medicine, strong ally

 **WEAKNESSES:** No fighting strength, extremely kind

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Yvette is clean, as all twelve-year-olds should be.

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** I'm sorry, I would have loved some tea. **It looked so good and everything.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT EIGHT MALE**

 **NAME:** Isaac Carder

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Rock-on-a-string.

 **ASSESSMENT:** Isaac asked for a low-level sparring partner and demonstrated what he called his invention, the rock-on-a-string. It was a rock on a string, and I don't know what I expected. He explained that it had a lot of force in it due to being a string, used some fancy science terms I didn't understand, and knocked an Avox out.

 **STRENGTHS:** Rock-on-a-string, smarter than he looks, realistic thinking

 **WEAKNESSES:** Survival, fighting without rock-on-a-string, not likely to attract sponsors

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** He's got nothing but broken childhood dreams

 **ODDS:** 48:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** If you win you can have whatever house you want. It doesn't even have to be in the village. **Poor fourteen-year-old just wants a plant.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT EIGHT FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Lacey Evans

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Survival stations, small knives, crossbow

 **ASSESSMENT:** Lacey showed basic plant knowledge and basic water purification knowledge. She didn't know how to find water. She could use the small knives to get simple things done, though they would likely not get a kill in a fight. She showed some form with the crossbow, obviously having spent the most time there, and was decent at it.

 **STRENGTHS:** Crossbow, basic survival, can be intimidating to have a crossbow pointed at you

 **WEAKNESSES:** Easily annoying, complex survival, lack of popularity in the Districts

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Lacey is entirely stable

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Dude just show us the highlights. You brought down your average.

* * *

 **DISTRICT NINE MALE**

 **NAME:** Jacob Ezekiel

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Sickle, fire-making

 **ASSESSMENT:** Jacob was proficient with his sickle, able to use it for a few killing blows and many damaging ones. He chose to work on a dummy instead of a sparring partner, saying he'd rather hurt something fake. He made a fire, though it took multiple attempts, and got quite a blaze going before we hosed it down.

 **STRENGTHS:** Fire-making, sickle, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Pessimism, could be a target for the Careers, no other survival skills

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Though sane, Jacob shows some problems due to lack of attention in his home. He may try to steal the spotlight.

 **ODDS:** 20:1 **So it's not nines this year?**

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Dude, you're going to be killing untrained people soon. Man up and fight an Avox.

* * *

 **DISTRICT NINE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Jade Hart

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Standing there. _Menacingly._

 **ASSESSMENT:** Jade picked up a crude sickle, one designed for aesthetic instead of use, held it, and stared at us. It seemed to be an attempt to intimidate us, but failed horribly, seeing as we are Gamemakers and have seen much, much worse. We _did_ notice that her eyes were a little funny and that we couldn't hear her footsteps, though, which we thought was a strength worth noting.

 **STRENGTHS:** Quiet, knows manipulation, could slip under the radar

 **WEAKNESSES:** Annoying, no actual skills shown, probably an idiot

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Nothing we can prove

 **ODDS:** 48:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** Do you have any idea how many death threats we've gotten? **There's a murderer on the loose. We ain't scared of a walking bomb.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Theodore Elaine

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Sword fighting, piano, charm

 **ASSESSMENT:** Theo was good at sword fighting, knowing the proper stances and parries. He knew to avoid clashing blades. He won against a mid-high trainer and took no time to pat himself on the back before playing the piano and talking to us. He played the song nearly perfectly, only messing up once and judging himself harshly when he did, and got us all nicely relaxed and freely talking. He may have heard a hint about the Arena.

 **STRENGTHS:** Charm, weapons knowledge, smarts

 **WEAKNESSES:** Self-confidence, requires perfection, bad at relationships (see psychological profile)

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Theodore grew up in an abusive household with two grandparents. They ignored him when he wasn't perfect, pushing him to the perfection he has today. While mostly functional, some symptoms of PTSD show in him.

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Everybody makes mistakes, dude. **Your Gpapa is a dick.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Lumara Hansen

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Poisons

 **ASSESSMENT:** Lumara knew many simple poisons, easily identifying which plants did what. She also knew some compound poisons, mixing together up to four plants to create more powerful ones. She showed us a basic immunity to some low-danger toxins, such as poison ivy and oak, and explained that she has a high pain tolerance due to "at-home experimentation."

 **STRENGTHS:** Poison knowledge, high pain tolerance, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Possible insanity, not likely to attract sponsors, physically small

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** While not technically insane, Lumara shows some signs of sociopathy and psycopathy, being introverted and enjoying causing harm to living things.

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** I mean, she _is_ a strong contender for the outer-Districts. **She poisons herself. Absolute mad madame.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT ELEVEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Arkane Erransaw **What**

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Nightstick

 **ASSESSMENT:** Arkane showed skill with his nightstick, as he insisted upon calling it, knowing where was best to hit on the dummy he chose to use and which hits were best to use. He used it properly as a lever and had a professional stance. His Peacekeeper training from his father likely came in handy.

 **STRENGTHS:** Nightstick, other Peacekeeper training, survival skills (all Peacekeepers know a few)

 **WEAKNESSES:** Likely to become a Career target, he's technically illegal, shows no amazing skill at anything

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Technically clean. We've all got a messed up family somehow.

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Arcane **Doing the naughty just got more literal**

* * *

 **DISTRICT ELEVEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Amelia Gomez

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Lasso, weights, bow

 **ASSESSMENT:** Amelia showed good skill with a lasso, able to grab things from across the room and drag them to herself. She had decent weight-lifting abilities, something that could be explained from her farm life. Her go with the bow was only okay, showing a beginner's form and aim but still better than someone who had never trained.

 **STRENGTHS:** Lasso, physical strength, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Not likely to attract sponsors, no hand-to-hand combat, very much a spitfire

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Yeah she sane. I checked.

 **ODDS:** 16:1

 **SCORE:** 8

 **NOTES:** Why are you such a stereotype? **You've yee'd your last haw**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWELVE MALE**

 **NAME:** Nyle van Buren

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Sword

 **ASSESSMENT:** Nyle asked for a low-high assistant in the swords section and fought with a sword for the whole period. It ended with Nyle winning by a hair, having to use a few tricks to get his opponent down. Both were breathing heavily by the end of the match.

 **STRENGTHS:** Swords, strong alliance, likely to attract sponsors

 **WEAKNESSES:** A total idiot, few survival skills, managed to knock down multiple stations on the way in

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** He's totally sane

 **ODDS:** 16:1

 **SCORE:** 8

 **NOTES:** Just ask. Literally anybody but your parents. And they would tell you a gay person can win the Games. **Dude no one cares, this isn't the Dark Ages.**

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWELVE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Indie Rayne

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Pickax, running

 **ASSESSMENT:** Indie did well with her pickax, seeming to know what she was doing well enough to do damage if not kill someone. She could run quite quickly but tripped before she could finish her race, leaving us questioning how long she could have kept her speed up while still impressed.

 **STRENGTHS:** Running, pickax, could slip under the radar

 **WEAKNESSES:** Would die in hand-to-hand, brash personality, unlikely to attract sponsors

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Saner than I am after writing this **But you have _comic relief!_**

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** Could run a lot faster if you didn't trip on your own two feet

* * *

 **Apologies in advance if I messed anything up, I wrote this thing at one in the morning.**


	26. Scores7

**Shoutout to Platrium for noting that I had forgotten to give Theo a training scene! He's getting one here but it's set before the murder.**

* * *

 **Theodore Elaine (15) D10M**

 _You shouldn't have to ask for help._ The words were quietly bouncing in my head, over and over again, when I knew I needed it. Asking for help was against everything my grandparents had ever taught me. It was a sign of weakness, of being a poor leader. I was supposed to be the best leader in the world, and I was a pretty good one. So why did I find myself feeling lost? The Games were as straightforward as things got, yet I found myself confused in the midst of everything, despite being in the best possible situation to show off every skill I had slowly perfected.

Still, as I walked up to Enigma, Isaac's words found their way into my head, too. "Nobody's perfect, and nothing in life is perfect. You shoot for the attainable, not the maximum." He was a smart kid, despite only being fourteen. He knew what he had to say to me to make me a better leader, and I was going to repay him my debt in leading him perfectly later on. He and Radian deserved every bit of leadership from me I could give them.

"I knew you come," Enigma said the second I walked into the room. She shook my hand and welcomed me cordially, offering me a spot before sitting down herself. "Technically, as a One, I shouldn't be helping a Ten, but I'm not really your average Victor, now am I?"

"No," I said, sitting myself down. "You're most certainly not." I could feel my diplomacy filtering into my words as I spoke, and I tried to tone it down. I wasn't supposed to be perfect. I was supposed to be me.

"So, what do you need help with?" I challenge sparkled in Enigma's eyes, and I slowly realized why. I didn't know what I needed help with. I just knew that some part of me was missing, and I saw bits of myself in her quietness, her observation skills, and her being a loner. I wanted to be a little bit more like her.

"Part of me is missing, and I don't know what it is yet. I'm already a great leader, and I know what's best for people around me. I know what needs to get done. So why am I not happy?" I finally asked, realizing how much I needed that question to be answered. I was never happy. I was always questioning myself, feeling not good enough, feeling like a terrible leader even when I did things right. I was so imperfect that I never seemed to feel good.

"Because you're not supposed to be a great leader. You're supposed to be a kid. Find _your_ personality, not what's been taught to you for so long. Find _your_ strengths, not the ones that were shoved down your throat. You don't have to be perfect to be good," Enigma said, thinking each word over carefully. I sat there and thought about her words for a while, slowly realizing just how right they were. I had to find myself. I had a week to do it.

* * *

 _Prosper Mallister: 10_

 _Alexandria St. John: 9_

 _Gallant Deacon: 10_

 _Cassiopeia Palassaqua: 7_

 _Radian Sempli: 4_

 _Lexi Circuit: 7_

 _Rio Ryine: 8_

 _Argentina Hudson: 11_

 _Adair Brites: 7_

 _Cecilia Q.: 5_

 _Nixon Hankook: 2_

 _Rhiannon Raimers:_ _6_

 _Yvette Ishi:_ _6_

 _Isaac Carder: 4_

 _Lacey Evans: 7_

 _Jacob Ezekiel: 7_

 _Jade Hart: 4_

 _Theodore Elaine: 7_

 _Lumara Hansen: 6_

 _Arkane Erransaw: 7_

 _Amelia Gomez: 8_

 _Nyle van Buren: 8_

 _Indie Rayn: 6_

* * *

Prosper: _A ten. I'm the second best person in the alliance, tied with Gallant. That's pretty good._

Alexandria: _A nine. I can handle that. Sure, they might have overlooked a strength or two, but that's not a bad thing._

Gallant: _A ten? I guess they think I'm pretty good. I've got as solid a chance as any other Career._

Cassiopeia: _What do they mean I'm a seven? I'm a strong Career, not the worst in the pack._

Radian: _A four isn't half bad. Hey, me and Isaac got the same score. Better hope Theo can be our alliance's redeeming factor._

Lexi: _A seven? They think I'm as good as a Career? I mean, I'm tough, but not_ that _tough._

Rio: _I'm the second worst Career. First I'm the youngest, then I'm the second worst. I'm so getting kicked out of the Pack._

Argentina: _An eleven? I figured I was decent as far as Careers went, but there's no way I'm the best. Prosper is so cool, and Alexandria really knows her strategy._

Adair: _I got as good as one of the Careers. Most people did, yeah, but I can use that. Sponsors don't have to be reminded that a lot of people got sevens._

Cecilia: _How dare they? I had one hundred percent accuracy and the confidence to match. They don't know what they're saying._

Nixon: _A two? They really think I'm going to die. Oh my gosh I'm going to die and this is all real they're just reminding you._

Rhiannon: _A six. They think I'm perfectly average. That's all right. You don't want to be overestimated._

Yvette: _A six. They think you're better than Jade and as good as Indie. You're almost as good as Lexi! You really know your poisons._

Isaac: _I really got a four for a rock-on-a-string? It's literally a rock on a string. Anyone could use it._

Lacey: _I got just about exactly what everyone else got. A seven will be good enough for now, but I'll be better than that by the end of the Games._

Jacob: _What's up with all the sevens? Is that the normal score now?_

Jade: _A four. I guess they weren't impressed. For the better. You want to remain unnoticed and so you will._

Theodore: _I can't believe I got a seven. That's not good enough to lead my alliance into victory. No, but it's good enough for you._

Lumara: _The frick you mean I got a six? I showed tolerance to poison. I showed extensive knowledge of poisons. More like 60/5._

Arkane: _You got exactly what almost everyone else in the alliance got. You fit right in._

Amelia: _Haha, I got an eight. Tied for best in the whole alliance. Guess who the Gamemakers think is going to win? Argentina, but also maybe this girl._

Nyle: _I didn't do well enough yet. I need to do better if I'm going to win, and if I lose, everything is for naught._

Indie: _That darned floor. I got a six and it would have been a seven or an eight if I didn't trip. I just know it. Screw tripping._

* * *

 **What's up with me always getting a ton of repeats on scores? Last year it was nines, this year I got a ton of sevens (seven, actually). I don't mind but it's kinda funny.**

 **Also yo, this is my second time updating within this 24-hour period, so you'll only get alerted once but I've written twice.**


	27. A Look into Ginger's Life

**President Vispasian Ginger**

"I'm sure you all know why I gathered you here today," I said to the group gathered in my room. It was a small group, consisting only of my most trusted friends and advisers. There was Marcelene, the interviewer who always respected me, Cordelia, who owed me her position, Marjoram, who was as happy as she could be to be a Gamemaker, Lumen, who owed me his life, and Draco, my Head Gamemaker. He mattered to me more than anyone else in the room, being the person who trusted me the most and who I could trust the most. All of them could be easily killed, though I didn't want to kill any of them. It would be an easy task to get done, but it would be emotionally destroying.

"Yeah. There's a murderer on the loose and we're all stuck here until someone figures out who it is," Marcelene said, draped over a chair. She was so calm, relaxing when everyone should have been in a time of great stress. I was perfectly composed as always, though I was waiting for a signal from everyone else that I could drop my guard. Marcelene was dropping hers thickly.

"I don't think we have to worry too much. We're safe in the building, no one will dare hurt us, and the Districts won't even care. We'll have to watch the Capitolites, because we don't want mass terror, but it's nothing terrible. We get brownie points for not getting a new tribute, too," Cordelia said, already in pajamas. I sagged after she spoke, ready to drop. There had been many sleepless nights and press conferences, leaving me constantly stuck with a plastered smile while being surrounded by scared citizens. These friends were safe. I could be myself around them.

"I can't imagine someone murdering a tribute, though. One, murderers aren't exactly common. Two, they're gonna die soon anyways. Did someone just really want to kill someone, and did they assume there'd be no repercussions?" Lumen asked, seeming confused and tense. Maybe he was worried someone would come after him, too. After all, he had been a tribute, and that was all we had to go off of.

"They probably assumed there'd only be minimal repercussions. Or perhaps they have a choice Victor, and there were worried Raven would get in the way. It's likely someone with ties to Seven who wanted Yvette to have a better chance," Draco said, serious and calm as ever. He rarely relaxed, though he was untensing a little as I did. I had ordered candies and cookies, though they remained untouched, and the drinks we had on the table were just as full as they had come.

"We have to stay on the lookout. Honestly, I'm not too worried about why it happened yet. I need to know how and who. You know how rarely I'm at a loss. I can't imagine any Capitolite being unhappy enough to kill a tribute for a thrill, except the few Hunters. I know it wasn't Icykill, because he's already been thoroughly investigated. His tracker shows he was nowhere near the Games Building at the time, and it shows no signs of having been tampered with," I said, trying to get conversation back on track. I could worry about _why_ later. I had to get things fixed before I could look at the rest.

"I mean, let's sit back and look at this for a second. A tribute was murdered, but Raven wasn't going to live anyways. He was deathly ill even without the Games. Yes, murder is a big deal, but it's not an important one. I think we could all use a break, and I think we all need to calm down. Paise, with all due respect and all that, you haven't slept in days. You've chugged more caffeine this week than I've had in years. You're a _mess._ What if we relax for the night and meet back up together?" Marjoram said, making a series of fair points. She was so right.

"Come on, Vi. How about we talk about supply placements during the Games for a second? And I need to set up my toothbrush," Draco said, escorting me to the bathroom. He didn't care about supply placement and I knew it. He was just getting me alone.

The second I was in the bathroom, I collapsed into Draco's arms. We had always been totally platonic. I had never had a relationship, and to the best of my knowledge, I could have been a lesbian. I had never considered anything. I _did_ know, though, that Draco was a good hugger. He wanted to get me alone so I could collapse and cry for a second without anyone other than my most trusted person in the world knowing about it. And he hugged me. He squeezed me tightly into his body and let me sob quietly, turning the fan on full power so no one could hear it.

"It's falling apart. This has never happened. Am I too lenient?" I finally asked, pulling away. I was crazy lenient for someone who did a murder game every year. I let tributes escape. I let tributes live. I quietly watched rebellions fizzle on their own. Should I have done more? Some people said it was necessary.

"No. You're not. Nobody could have seen a murder coming. The Districts haven't done anything about this. The Keats are annoyed, but they aren't trying to start anything. We're not worried at all, and you shouldn't be, either. Now, let's go back out there. You're going to be an idiot, we're going to eat way too much whipped cream, and you're going to look happy. Then I'm going to force you to get at least eight hours of sleep before tomorrow." Draco's words soothed me just a little. I knew he was telling me the truth. He wouldn't lie to relax me; I was the president. I had to know what was happening. I settled into his arms for one last hug before fixing my makeup and walking back into the living room.

"What say you we watch a comedy?" I asked the room, plopping down onto the couch. Draco and Lumen settled down beside me, Cordelia, Marcelene, and Marjoram sitting on a different couch. We ordered popcorn from an Avox, and I ignored the kissy faces Marcelene made at Draco and me while we waited. It didn't matter if I got teased. Draco and Lumen were two friends I would always trust.

* * *

 **Someone said we needed more view of the subplot, so here we gooooooooo! Just a little bit about how Ginger's handling all this madness.**


	28. Interviews

**Marcelene Chaplin (Interviewer)**

 _All right. Simple questions to drop their guards. Slightly harder questions to see who knows what. Ginger won't be mad if you don't get anything, but boy will she be disappointed. You're not going to disappoint Ginger._ Vi had given me a difficult task. I was supposed to interrogate the tributes without any of them knowing there were being interrogated. I only had three minutes with each tribute, but I was going to use every second to the best of my ability. _Lighthearted stuff. Drop your guard. Hard stuff. Are you allied with Raven?_ I adjusted my Captain Panem cosplay while I waited for people to come onstage, trying to calm my nerves.

"Hello, Prosper!" I called out brightly, keeping my smile painted on. He was dressed in full makeup, looking like a swirled oil painting. _Van Gogh. A nice touch, if you can forget that the guy was insane._ "How has training been for you so far?" _Innocent question. Careers like training._

"It's been pretty nice! The rest of the Careers and I have had a pretty nice time getting to know each other, and I'm predicting a Career win this year for sure. I just wish we got more time training," Prosper replied, smiling back with a face that mirrored mine. _He's fake, too. Is he malicious? No. He gets to kill people freely later. Why risk it? But he did get more time training..._

While I lightly shook my head to clear my mind, Alexandria came out wearing a simple black dress, something I didn't hate or love. It didn't really compliment her, but it also wasn't hideous. _6/10._ I smiled, and she offered her hand to shake before the interview began. "How has everything been with the Careers this year? I know there's been a lot of odd stuff going on, especially with Rio being fifteen!" _Not odd stuff with Raven. Nope, definitely not him._

"Oh, it's been great! Rio has been pretty fun, and I'd say he stands as solid a chance as any of us. After all, anyone can win the Games, and you never know what hidden strengths somebody might have." Alexandria spoke confidently, her eyes glittering. _Going for a smart angle? That wasn't the best tease, but hidden strengths always means you're acting smart._

Gallant wore a black tux, like everyone else did, but his had some golden embroidery. _Simplistic and sweet. I appreciate it._ He was smiling, though he looked a little bit nervous. _All Careers can be nervous, I guess._ "Gallant, what made you volunteer? Everyone has a deep reason," I said, hoping there would be a hint in his answer. Did he like killing people, or was it for honor?

"Things were hard at home. I was the chosen volunteer," Gallant muttered, so quietly I could hardly hear it. The rest of the interview went like that, with me happy to see him go. He tripped on the way out, though, banging open his head and causing medics to rush in. I noted the big red stain on the gold embroidery and knew the Capitol would do something with that even while I called for an intermission.

Ginger found me while the floors were being cleaned, shaking her head quietly. "None of them are going to give any leads. There's no reason for them to kill someone now. They're about to go into the Arena," she said to me, vocalizing the thoughts that I wouldn't say. I hated to see her so shaken and sad, knowing that she was really reaching for leads, but I didn't know anything I could do.

"It's all right. Maybe one of them has a hint. I can keep checking them out. It'll be fine," I replied, pulling her into a hug. I wasn't going to let her be sad. I wasn't going to let her break. Ginger deserved so much more than what she got. Our hug lasted only a few seconds while the floor was cleaned and tributes gathered themselves, but I knew it was all Ginger would need. She was strong. "I've gotta go back to the interviews. We'll find the guy, don't worry."

I walked back onto the stage, avoiding the spot where the blood had been. Three minutes had passed. _Darn the Capitol and it's efficiency._ Cassiopeia walked out in a purple ballgown, balling and unballing her fists while she came to sit down, and I knew she was just as shaken as the rest of us. "Cassiopeia, that was really something! Do you think it'll affect Gallant's chances in the Games?" I wasn't going to bombard the nervous girl and risk her having a breakdown. Her other questions could wait a second.

"No. Gallant's strong. He really knows what he's doing. The Capitol medicine is really strong, too. He'll be better in no time. I won't have to worry about anything like that. I've never really been clumsy. Guess that's a good thing." Cassiopeia didn't make eye contact while she spoke, and I knew she was babbling to settle herself, not anyone else. I let her go for the whole three minutes. She looked innocent to me.

Radian strutted out in a bright orange tux, something I somehow didn't hate. It was definitely out there, not lame and safe, like most tuxes were. He seemed a little nervous he was going to slip, but I smiled at him and helped him sit. "Radian, what was like for you like back in your District?" I asked him. I knew a bit about it. We researched every tribute after the Reaping. I just figured he'd feel safe sharing.

"Oh, it was fine. Everyone else focused on technology all the time, but I knew the importance of good, old-fashioned work. I wish everyone else did. It would have made life in the District so much better!" Radian replied, faking all of his confidence. I let him talk. _Oh yeah, screw technology. It's not like that's all that your District is good for or anything. Nope, don't need any of that._

I jumped when Lexi came onto the stage. She was wearing pale blue pajama pants and a white tank top, strutting over to me in fuzzy slippers. _All right. All right, that's gotta be something important. Who in their right mind wears pajamas to the interviews?_ "Lexi, that's quite the outfit you have on, there! I have to ask, is there a story behind those?"

"Oh! Well, most people wear their big dresses, which is fine, but my appearance is part of my job. I wouldn't fit the innocent look, and I don't really like going for the sexy look. I'm considering the Games paid leave until I make it home, or a promotion to deceased. Either way, I'm not going to fret about being pretty anymore. That job is done for me." _Huh._ Lexi's words were spoken confidently and calmly, and I found myself nodding and agreeing with what she said. She made very fair points. _No work for the tributes in the Capitol._

Rio came out wearing a suit, if it could be called that. It was pastel green at the top hat, fading smoothly all the way down to indigo shoes. _That's it. I can't take you seriously. I can't take this job seriously. How am I supposed to investigate someone who's wearing that?_ "Rio, I hear you were quite the jokester back home. Don't ask how; I have my sources. Do you have anything like that planned for the Arena?" I asked, shaking off his confused gaze while I spoke. I knew something about everyone. I lived in the Capitol.

"Well, I don't think anyone will need it, but I totally have some pranks planned for if tensions get too high in the Arena. We've gotta keep things lighthearted, you know?" Rio said, not telling me what the pranks were. I assumed a couple of them were dangerous. _Could killing Raven be part of him? That would raise tensions, but he might know that. It sucks not being a genius, I guess._

Tina came onto the stage wearing a dark blue ballgown, looking exactly like a princess from a fairytale. Her hair was styled beautifully, and her makeup stunned me. _I need to get the Four stylist to work for me,_ I thought to myself before beginning the interview. Tina looked perfect. "Hello, Tina! You like being called that, right? Anyways, an eleven is a stunning score. What do you think of getting one for yourself?" I asked, knowing that should be the star of the show. Elevens weren't exactly common.

"Oh! To be honest, I was a little surprised. I know I deserve something decent, but I'd never have guessed that I would be the top Career. Other people are amazingly skilled, and while I know I have my skills, I'm sure I pale in comparison to some of them. The Games are going to be hard with all the competitors, but I _do_ stand a chance. The eleven wasn't wrong there." _Did you? Did you plan that? Did you know I was going to ask that? Can you just speak that well?_ Applause erupted from the audience while Tina was still speaking, leaving everyone in awe of her before she left.

Adair was wearing a suit when he came out, looking confident without looking cocky. _A good walk despite the bad outfit. We might have a contender for Victor. Doesn't look like a murderer, but how many have I really seen?_ "Adair, what did you feel when you were Reaped?" I asked, knowing it was often a good way to evoke emotion. _And someone who doesn't show emotion is someone who might be dangerous._

"I was a bit surprised at first, of course. The Games were never the way I saw myself leaving a legacy. But now I guess they'll have to be the way! I'm not coming home in a box. Five needs me for a bit longer," Adair said, his words flowing as easily as mine did. To the Capitol it looked real. To me it was sweet talk, the same strategy I used year after year to help tributes out.

Cecilia wore a silky blue and white dress, her hair flowing nicely as she walked onto the stage. She didn't really smile, though her outfit said she should have. _She could definitely be a murderer. So quiet and introverted._ "Cecilia, what do you think of the Capitol so far?" I asked, not really knowing where else to go with myself. She didn't have an easy lead.

"Oh, it's been all right. My favorite part had to be you, though. You look so nice in your Captain Panem outfit," Cecilia said, easily shifting focus from herself to me. _Is she flirting with me? I'm an adult. I'm a professional. I only insult people. I'd never have sex with a tribute. Gross._

 _Purple leather shoes. Purple leather shoes._ I definitely could not take Nixon seriously. He was wearing a _silk, purple tux._ He was wearing purple leather shoes. He was wearing purple gloves. _What is this, a joke? Should I just stop trying to get anything done? Is my entire job meaningless to all of you?_ I had to pretend to be serious, but the kid was wearing purple leather shoes. "Nixon, what do you think of the Capitol so far?" I asked, knowing that was one of few questions I could ask with a straight face.

"It's been a crazy experience! I always thought the Capitol was fake, just like the owners of my mom's factory, but it turns out it's real! That's just unbelievable. Maybe the Games are real, too, though I always said they were fake. Did you know that the food isn't poisoned? All the Avoxes have said that it isn't their tongues, either, which I was really worried about..." Once I got Nixon going, there didn't seem to be an end to what he was saving. I wasn't going to try to stop him.

Rhiannon came out wearing a dazzling blue dress with green and yellow near the bottom, reds and pinks tinting their way up. It was a sunrise, and it was a gorgeous one. She seemed to love it, twirling a bit while she walked out, and it gave me exactly what kind of question to ask her. "Rhiannon, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?"

"I should say the Capitol to get sponsors, but that's not true. I've always wanted to see Two's mountains, or Three's factories. Sure, Six has factories too, but they must be different. Seven's forests sound wonderful, and I just wish I could see Eleven's orchards in person, even if it was just once. Everywhere sounds so gorgeous that I can't help but wish that I could travel freely," Rhia said, easily rattling off the Districts. I was pleased with myself, knowing I had hit just the right chord to leave her feeling confident while she spoke.

Yvette was wearing a red kimono with a lab coat on it when she came out. I cocked my head at her quizzically, wondering how those two could go together, and she cocked her head at me right back. _All right, we've got a funny, nice girl. That can be done._ "Yvette, would you like to talk about what you showed in the private sessions? It's not every day a Seven does as well as you did."

"Well, I can't give it all away, but I showed some medicine! My family works as doctors, and they've had me work with them for the longest time. It's pretty cool, really. I know a lot of plants, since that's all we can afford in Seven. Did you know that poppy seeds can cure pain?" Yvette said, her eyes absolutely lighting up while she spoke. I smiled and let her go, amazed that so many tributes completed their interviews after only being asked one question. _And none of them have given me a lead on Raven._

"Isaac, there's been quite the story of tributes escaping this year. Some even went so far as to disguise themselves. What do you think of that?" I asked the next tribute, deliberately ignoring his drop-waist pants and low-necked shirt. They were hideous, but they still beat all the tuxes, simply because tuxes they were not.

"Funny you should say! I love disguises," Isaac replied, smiling brightly. He pulled out oversized glasses with a fake nose and mustache attached, putting them on and laughing. "Escaping is serious business, but these glasses sure aren't!" I watched and laughed while Isaac winded himself with laughter, unable to hold back despite the stress of the situation.

Lacey wore a simple golden dress to the interview, not dropping any hints about what her angle was supposed to be. I could have grilled her for information, but she seemed innocent. Most outer-District kids did. _Sorry, Ginger,_ I thought to myself, realizing that the interviews were not the place to get answers. Instead, I switched gears, back to my normal, slightly sassy self. "Lacey, you did debate back in Eight, right? What was your favorite topic?"

"Absolute right and wrong!" Lacey replied brightly, her face splitting in a smile. "Some people think it doesn't exist, but I think it has to, because otherwise everyone's opinions are kinda wrong. And there couldn't be crimes if there wasn't an absolute wrong, you know?" I nodded while Lacey spoke, happy to let her puff herself up while the whole Capitol listened.

Jacob came out in a hodgepodge of outfits, wearing a tan blazer over his white shirt, supposedly to match his... black bow tie. _0/10, everyone in the room is dumber for having seen this, I award you no points, may God have mercy on your soul. Okay, overreaction, but that gross._ "Jacob, what have you thought about the Capitol so far? I heard there was a mess in your room," I said, wondering if killing a tribute before the Games could be a reaction to the Capitol. I had mostly shifted gears, but I wouldn't ignore an obvious threat.

"Yeah. It was a problem. They were blood supplies," Jacob said, mumbling the last part so I could hardly hear it. I was taken aback, so I let him sit with his words for a whole minute. I wouldn't waste a kid's whole interview, but I would definitely ruin a portion of it if he was going to be a nuisance.

Jade came out wearing a white dress, making a series of points connect in my mind. Jade was quiet. Jade was sassy. Jade threatened Gamemakers. Jade was supposed to look scary. _No way. No mentor would encourage that. No one is that dumb._ I smiled at her while she walked over, offering a hand that she didn't shake. "Jade, I've seen a few pieces of your art. What's your favorite thing to draw?"

Jade stared at me, not saying a word. I stared right back, letting her sit in silence until I remembered that Ginger would be mad if I wasted two interviews in a row. "What do you think of the Capitol so far?" I pressed, waiting again for Jade to speak. She stared. I stared. The joke was really on her, because I was used to harsh cameras and flinching from glare. She wasn't, and I could definitely last longer than she could. _Because screw you._

Theodore strutted out in a white suit with black stripes, obviously symbolizing a piano. I smiled at him while he walked in, thinking of what Enigma had told me. _He's learning himself. Make sure to get him out of his shell,_ she had said, wanting to make sure that he had a good chance. No one deserved to die without knowing who they were. I stood up while he walked over. "What's your favorite song to play on the piano?" I asked, gesturing to his suit.

"Oh! I really like Moonlight Sonata. It's from before the Dark Days, but the Capitol is okay with it, since it's such an innocent song," Theodore said, smiling a little. _Does he actually like piano?_ I wondered, watching his body language while he spoke. Was he happy or was he faking?

"What notes are in that?" I continued, letting him keep talking.

"Oh, it's really complicated. I probably can't explain it well. It starts off with a C-sharp minor chord, then works its way up, kind of. It's really frustrating to get my hands to hit all the notes, but it's kinda nice when you do get them," Theo continued, and I let him talk. He seemed happy enough to be talking, which opened my door.

"So a C-sharp minor... Like this?" I reached out and hit the right keys on Theo's outfit, knowing just a handful of notes. That chord made enough sense to me, and it got the exact reaction I wanted: Theo laughed and played the top hand, easily able to play the song on his suit.

Lumara waltzed in in an acid green dress, looking quite pleased with herself. She sat down confidently, offering _her_ hand before I had time to give her mine, and sat down, smiling while waiting for me to talk. "Lumara, I've heard quite the story about your arm! Would you like to tell us what happened there? There are a hundred and one theories," I said, knowing it would be an exciting tale.

"Well, back at home, there were some minor irritants everywhere. I tried one out on myself. Really, I spilled it when I was trying to see what it did, but it's fine. It left me with quite the scar, but I just think that makes me look a lot cooler, and it only hurt for a little bit," Lumara replied, pulling up a sleeve so all of us could see the arm more clearly. It was a nasty scar, clearly not medically treated. _Better hope you don't win. It'll get twice as bad._

Arkane was wearing black slacks and a button up, which was painfully boring. Still, I preferred it to a tux. He seemed reasonably confident, though he looked around himself sometimes, as if checking himself. _So he has his own doubts. Good to note,_ I thought before beginning the interview. "Arkane, you're the child of a Peacekeeper. What was that like, knowing you were illegal?"

"We got fed better than most. Dad didn't know how to love me," Arkane said, clearly not really thinking his words through. I could only imagine how much that must have hurt his father. Most people tried their best, and Arkane seemed pretty healthy for someone who had been straight-up abused. His father was probably just dumb.

I spooked for just a second when Amelia came onto the stage, almost laughing at her outfit. She was wearing a sparkly gold tux, something I didn't hate. She was only the second female tribute I had ever seen in a tux, so it wasn't cliche for her any more than it was for girls to wear simple dresses. "Amelia, what was life like for you back in your District? Did you live on a farm?" I asked, wanting to see if she would reveal any strengths.

"It was all right. I didn't know how to talk to many people - oh, who am I kidding? They didn't know how to be talked to. But anyways, that usually left me talking to my horses, instead. That was sure fun! They would listen to whatever I had to say, and they never got mad when I said their hair was messy." I was taken aback by Amelia's answer, used to people acting extra polite during the interviews. She was being as loud as she wanted.

Nyle came out wearing a suit, and I glared at him for just a second. _Suits. At least have a tailcoat,_ I thought before returning to my professional self. _Nyle. No legal history, nothing bad about him except some training. Gay,_ I thought, doing a quick checklist. "Nyle, what made you decide to train in the District? It's uncommon for Twelves to have training," I asked.

"Oh! My parents kicked me out for being gay. I wasn't going to break up with Chevron just to stay with them, though. He obviously loved me more than they ever would," Nyle replied, looking off in wonder. He was clearly expecting applause for being proud, but everyone just seemed confused. His romance was sweet, but it wasn't something a Capitolite could really understand.

Indie came out wearing a dark grey dress, and I slowly realized that I didn't know much about her. She seemed nice enough, from what I had seen, but she didn't stick out as much as acid-arm-girl. "Indie, what's your favorite thing about the Capitol so far?" I asked, starting with an innocent question to get her going.

"I don't really know. The food is pretty awesome, and the people have all been pretty nice. It's been really enlightening to meet all of you and find out you're just as human as the rest of us, I guess," Indie said, and I got the feeling she was speaking honestly. She was subdued, though I couldn't find out why. She must have had some experience I hadn't heard about.

"Well, there you have it! The interviews of the tributes of the twenty-third Hunger Games!" I called to the cameras, walking off the stage as quickly as possible. Ginger would want a word with me. She knew I could see tells better than the cameras could. She'd just end up being disappointed that almost all of the tributes seemed innocent to me.

* * *

 **I don't think my interviews have ever been this long before? But here we are, enjoying the perspective of one easily confused Marcelene.**


	29. Investigation Party

**Radian Sempli (16) D3M**

I didn't know what was up. For some reason, our entire last night was dedicated to a party. That was very unusual, and not something I was entirely interested in attending, but it wasn't optional. That was extra unusual, but there was nothing I could do about it. Theo and Isaac told me to try to have a positive outlook, something I was willing to try to do, even if I wouldn't go as far as they would. It wouldn't be hard to smile and laugh with the other tributes, the President's posse, and the choice Capitolites who were allowed to attend.

"Hello," I said politely, approaching Capitolite after Capitolite. They were all pretty interesting. Each of them spoke with their own little differences, walking slightly differently from the people around them. I didn't mimic them, but I wanted to. They were unlike anything I had ever seen before, perfectly showing how wild humanity was when given it's freedoms.

"Hey!" Theo said, smiling and waving me over. I brought the Capitolite with me, happy to accept the drinks Theo offered both her and me. He was being his exuberant, perfect self. After all, there could be sponsors on the line. Isaac was standing by him with a small group, and we all chatted and drank soda together. I could have gotten away with alcohol, but I sure wasn't going to.

"I'm Foosunny," the Capitolite said, offering me her hand. I took it and shook it, smiling while she spoke. "I must say, your alliance is so cute! It's like a big brother thing, Theodore protecting you all. Even little Isaac, with rickets." _We are not cute. We are individuals._

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way! You know, I'm going to do my best to protect everyone, but I can't do everything. It'll be so much more doable with help. You know, I have to know my limits," Theodore said, shooting us apologetic glances while taking another sip of his drink. I nodded, knowing that he was only doing what had to be done.

"I mean, I can hardly hunt, and I doubt Isaac will be any better. We'll sure be at a loss for food!" I continued, laughing as soon as I was done speaking. Isaac had already got the hint. He didn't seem hurt at all that I teased him. That was good. We'd have to go through a lot of teasing to get the sponsors we were going to need.

"I've never hunted! I'm an Eight. Have you hunted, Foosunny?" Isaac joked, keeping up the game. I liked how he got the Capitolite involved. It was a bit of poetic justice, us letting her think we were weak. She liked our entertainment. We liked her money. Only she was going to get what she deserved.

* * *

 **Tina Hudson (17) D4F**

I absolutely loved the party. All of the Careers huddled together at first, trying to read the room, but we quickly realized that we were given exactly what was advertised: a party. There was food and there were drinks, there was dancing and joking, and everyone seemed happy. Everyone except the President herself, who was attending, at least. There was only one thing to do about that. I was going to befriend the President.

Ginger smiled when I came up to her, taking my hand when I offered it. I recognized some of the people she was with. Marcelene Chaplin, Draco Stilleto, and Cordelia Stuart were all faces I knew. I didn't recognize the woman she was with, but the man... I could have sworn I had seen him somewhere. That didn't matter, though. Ginger was the one who mattered the most. The others were important, just like every human in the world, but Ginger would have the most direct affect on the Games.

"Hello there, Ms. Ginger! I'm Argentina Hudson. You seem a little stressed," I began, honestly worried about the President. If she was worried, something serious was going on. "Is it anything you'd like to talk about? I can always listen and give you a new perspective." I waited patiently while Ginger eyed me up, judging me for what she was worried about, I figured. I had time. There was a whole night to make the President calm down.

"We're still investigating Alfred's death," Ginger finally said, her words flowing easily. She must not have been too stressed; she was all right with talking freely. "There's a good chance someone in this room is somehow connected. Everyone was hand chosen. Tributes have motives. These Capitolites, Icykill mainly, aren't trusted. And my group, or 'posse,' as someone called it, are here to help me decide who it was."

I watched everyone while Ginger spoke, trying to see what everyone else thought of her plan. The weird girl, the one I didn't know, was fully supportive. Draco was following Ginger everywhere, making sure she felt comfortable. The weird boy I almost recognized was quietly avoiding eye contact and talking to himself. I walked up to him when he was alone, making sure not to look intimidating. That wasn't too hard, but Careers could easily come off as brash.

"You're not, like, causing the President any stress or anything, right?" I asked, playing dumb. "Because that would be so mean! Like, Ginger seems really nice. She's _so_ chill. And it'd really stink if someone was hurting that." I didn't know it the boy was a problem, but anyone who was talking to themselves in a party was. I jumped when he quickly raised his hand, settling when it went back down to his side. He was fine. I wasn't going to stick around any longer, but he was fine.

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

"Hello, Nyle!" people greeted me cordially while I went around the room. Our alliance decided it was best for us to split up while we worked, trying to run into everyone in the room once or twice. We'd make faster ground that way, and, while nobody wanted to admit it, we'd have sponsors who were only trying to sponsor _us._ Sure, the sponsors would help everyone for a while, but once the alliance split, everyone was going to want to be the one who stuck out. That wasn't going to be too hard for me. _I_ was a volunteer from Twelve.

"Hello! What might your name be?" I asked the Capitolite who was speaking to me, smiling at her in my suit. She was wearing a short dress, something I rarely saw. She was smiling brightly, apparently happy to have the VIP meeting with tributes, and I was going to let her enjoy her taste.

"I'm Lalafette! Do you have a plan for the Games yet?" Lalafette replied, practically falling over herself in excitement. I looked at the ground.

"Of course I do," I whispered, leaning in close, "But I can't really let everyone here hear." It was a sure-fire way to get someone intrigued: Make them think they were hearing a secret.

"Oh! Just... _whisper it in my ear,_ " Lalafette said, leaning in even closer, so close I could feel her breath on me. I lowered my voice farther.

"I'm going to figure things out as I go!" I breathed, my voice hardly audible. I leaned back, a fake grin splitting my face, and Lalafette laughed, too. Of course, she didn't stay long. She wanted to meet every tribute, for some reason, but that was all right. I wanted to meet every sponsor.

One person stuck out from the crowd, and I found myself approaching them. "Hello!" I said brightly, offering my hand to them. It wasn't taken. "I'm Nyle. Who might you be?" I wasn't sure if I would get an answer. The man didn't look totally sane, insisting that he "Had to get them to shut up" and "they" were "taking over his life." I should have gotten out of there right then, but nothing could be dangerous in the Capitol.

"Lumen," the man said, hardly looking up from his pacing. "Lumen Lumen. Avena. Remember her, Lumen? You do now." I took a step backward, only to find my wrist being grabbed by the man. "I'm going to remember her. She wants to be remembered."

I yanked my arm away and strutted off, not ready to be harassed any longer. That Lumen man was going to have nothing to do with me, whether or not it would cost me a sponsor. Who was Avena? Who was Lumen? Who was... _Oh._

* * *

 **Lexi Circuit (18) D3F**

Yvette and I attended the party together, smiling at everyone who walked past us and partaking in lighthearted conversation. Yvette didn't seem to like me talking about my past, and she didn't like talking about the Games, so we mostly stuck to talking about her. That was something I was fine with. She was my cuteness factor, and she knew it. I was her defender, and I knew it. We ramped it up as far as we could, me giving Yvette piggy-back rides, her constantly trying to hug me... It was sickly sweet and fake, making it exactly what Capitolites would fall for.

We wandered freely around the room, my shoulders easily able to carry Yvette any distance I wanted. She was incredibly light. Ginger had a quick talk with us, Draco trying to explain her curtness, and I was fine with that. I was amazed the President could be bothered to talk to us again, especially since we had already had time with her.

"The tea party was amazing, though," Yvette said when I voiced my thoughts. I knew she was right. It had gone astoundingly well, leaving the President and her friend happy.

"Yeah, but she's stressed now. She probably has hardly any time for tributes. And she already _knows_ us. Anyways, there's nothing we can really do about it now. We'll have to talk to her through the cameras during the Games," I said, sticking my tongue out. Yvette wasn't as childish as she acted, but even she could appreciate a decent joke. Even I could.

"Hey! There's the friend we went to the party with. Maybe he'd make a good sponsor," Yvette said, pointing to the person that had accompanied Ginger. I watched him shiftily, not really trusting him, but nodded. He couldn't do anything. We were surrounded on all sides.

"What's up?" I called to the person. He was walking in circles, obviously frustrated, and the second he saw us, separated from the rest of the room, his eyes lit up. He muttered something I couldn't quite hear, though I thought I heard the word Three, and then approached us.

In an instant, I had Yvette off my back. She dropped to the ground with what sounded like a painful clunk, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I dropped into a fighting stance and socked the man right in the nose, allowing him no time to pull out the knife I had spotted. He reeled backwards, then pulled out a knife with his other hand, stabbing it into my neck. I glared at him and pulled him into a headlock, knowing I would die in no time. He wouldn't choke faster than I did, but I could certainly keep him from Yvette, and I could hold him down until Ginger found out.

* * *

 **23rd Place: Lexi Circuit - Stabbed in throat by Lumen**

 **So yeah, this has been planned for a while. Really, I didn't have an exact plan for how Lumen would get caught. I was going to have Lexi get snuck up on, but it was so much cooler of a scene to have her try to take Lumen down. She knew how to spot creeps pretty well, and she sure did a good job protecting Yvette. Shoutout to me for submitting her just for sub-plot, and shoutout to anyone who lets me resubmit her because she actually ended up being pretty neat.**

 **Looks like we'll need some more subplot before Into the Tubes 0:-) Gotta see how Ginger reacts to her best friend straight-up murdering two kiddos**


	30. Murder Wrap-up

**Lumen Hal (D3M/Murderer)**

I knew it was over when Lexi wrapped her legs around me. She knew it was over when I stabbed her. I could see it in her eyes, that look of death I had become accustomed to. It haunted all three people I killed. I knew it, though I hadn't seen the eyes of the first. I knew it because that look haunted mine, and I wasn't physically dead yet. Mentally exhausted and spiritually dead, yes, but I still had a lot of life to live before I was going to be allowed to die for real.

"Wow, you couldn't even kill a kid? You failed right now. You really are better off dead. You could kill me but not her?" Voices haunted my while I laid on the ground, unable to break the grip of Lexi's thighs. She was holding on tight even as the life drained out of her, even as the President approached me while her ally screamed. I was hardly focusing on the pressure on my neck; the voices were too loud. My mistakes plagued me, reminding me again and again that I had murdered two people and killed two more to numb my conscience. No amount of murder had worked, but I was going to be put out of my misery.

"You're so worthless. No wonder Ginger's gonna kill you." I couldn't reply to that voice, but I knew what I would have said. _Do you think I didn't know? Do you think I wouldn't know she was going to kill me?_ The voices that had been destroying me had won long ago. I didn't have it in me to kill myself, but I had it in me to kill people who were going to die anyways. I had it in me to kill two birds with one stone, attempting to silence the voices and knowing that I would die whether or not I was successful. Murderers didn't live in Panem. Even ones that technically didn't exist.

"You're the killer?" I heard from above me, and it took me a second to process who it was. The voice was broken and sad, not taunting like the others. I slowly realized that that was because it was coming from Ginger, not a ghost. It was coming from an old friend, someone who had deserved better. She didn't deserve the betrayal I gave her. She only got it because I was selfish and insane. _And because I deserve the death you're about to give me._

"Draco, put him in handcuffs. I'll escort him to my room and decide on the proper sentence for him," Ginger's voice came again. I was amazed that I wasn't immediately sentenced to death. I was disappointed as well. Death was the only silence. Death would have fulfilled my wildest dreams. But I was put into Ginger's private suite and left sitting in front of Ginger, overwhelmed by the hurt I knew I had caused her.

* * *

 **Vispasian Ginger (President)**

When I heard the scream, I knew immediately what had happened. _So the killer_ was _in this room,_ was the first thought to cross my mind, followed by _I can't believe I willingly trapped everyone in this room with a killer._ I hadn't known, but it was still hard not to blame myself for what I had done. Someone had been hurt because I had trapped everyone in a room with a group of suspects, hoping there would be a hint dropped as to who it was. I wasn't expecting an attack, but with the amount of screaming I heard, I knew it was one.

I followed the noise to Yvette, the lovely child who had made me tea. She was screaming and crying over her fallen ally, Lexi, who was holding Lumen in a headlock. I was too stunned to speak at first, emotions immediately crushing me. _Lumen? Lumen was the killer? I let him live. I trusted him. He was alone in a room with me. He helped me so much._ That was impossible. There was no way he could have done anything.

"You're the killer?" I finally choked out, hurt by how shaky my voice was. I couldn't keep my cool. Not when my second closest friend was killing again, even after I had spared him his last mistakes. I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but I knew there was no stopping them. All I could do was minimize them, which I did by refusing to blink, even while Lumen looked up at me with the guiltiest eyes I had ever seen. He looked like he had given up on life, like he knew everything was over. He looked sorry for what he had done.

"Draco, put him in handcuffs. I'll escort him to my room and decide on the proper sentence for him," I said next, holding my voice steady. He came with me while I brought Lumen to me suite, making sure I was totally safe. The murderer had to be attended to before the tribute; even the Capitol couldn't save someone who had been living with a stab wound to the throat for as long as I could tell Lexi had.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Lumen kept saying to himself, snapping at no one and nothing. "I'm sorry. Won't kill. Screw it. I give up. Are you gonna kill me?"

 _He's insane,_ I thought, realizing Lumen was still talking to the air. I watched him moving, noticing how he waved his arms and made facing at something that just wasn't there. _He's finally lost it._ "Lumen," I said, gathering myself while I spoke, "I don't want to kill you. You've been amazing, and exceptions can be made for people who are insane. I'm going to have to punish you somehow, though, aren't I? I could just Avox you. I think that'll be best. You'll need severe therapy before you can be an Avox. It'll be more trouble than an Avox is worth. But no more than a human is."

I stood up before Lumen had time to respond, seeing something flash in his eyes. I couldn't tell what the emotion was, but it didn't seem to be the excitement I had been expected at not being killed by a President with a very real reason to end your life. I didn't focus on that, though. I focused on Draco's welcoming arms while I cried into the shoulder of the man who was one of the now three people I could trust.

* * *

 **Yvette Ishi (12) D7F**

 _I don't know how to treat a stab wound to the throat. I don't know how to treat this. I cannot fix this._ My parents had never made me handle the really hard medical problems at home. They let me do the ones a little bit outside my comfort zone, practically allowing me to level up as I went. I was on stabs in non-vital places and basic poison control. I wasn't on fatal wounds yet. _You are never going to be on fatal wounds now, are you?_

The only thing I could do for sure was scream. I wasn't particularly terrified. I knew Lexi had the threat down, and I figured she could keep him down. She was strong. _Strong enough to save you._ She was smart. _Smart enough to know he was a threat when you didn't._ She could protect me for as long as I needed, but I was going to make it shorter. Someone would notice the little kid screaming pretty quickly, especially when she started crying. _Two allies in a row._

I didn't know what to do. There was nothing _to_ do. I watched as Ginger escorted the murderer away, leaving Lexi crying on the ground, gasping for air. I watched as Draco left with Ginger, Cordelia and Marjoram close behind. I collapsed onto the ground beside my ally, my only friend in the Games, and held her hand. She was scared. That much I could tell, even though she didn't say anything. She was crying now that her opponent was gone, and there was nothing I could do to help.

 _That's not right._ I couldn't save Lexi, but I knew how to minimize suffering. I held her hand tightly, rubbing the flesh and trying to stop my tears from flowing. _Keep a straight face. Patients don't like to see professionals freak out. Make physical contact. Studies have shown that more physical contact elsewhere can minimize the actual pain felt from the wound. Talk quietly and calmly to the patient. They need to think they're okay._

"This is all right, Lexi. You're so awesome! I never would have been able to take down that guy. He was so tough!" _Pretend you're not crying, even though you are. Keep your voice steady._ "Man, I can't wait for the Games to begin. What sort of sponsors will we get?" _Keep the subjects light and happy. Distract if you can't save._ "You're such a good friend. I'm lucky to have met you."

 _Pretend you don't see the patient crying. Pretend she isn't as sad to lose you as you are to lose her. Pretend your heart isn't breaking in two as a friend of yours dies while you know you can't save her._ I did my best to pretend and remain professional. Would my parents have been proud, or would they have been horrified I could so easily shut down my emotions? I didn't know. I only knew that I could barely see Lexi's final smile through the tears rolling down my face, onto the body of my friend.

* * *

 **I unkilled Lexi for a second for the #DramaticScene, since she didn't *have* to be dead to be assumed dead (everyone knew she wasn't going to live through being stabbed in the throat).**

 **Notes: Lumen's and Ginger's POVs start at about the same time. Lumen's totally insane but hey, maybe he'll get better.**

 **Also, I'm not trying to give Yvette so much tragedy/screentime. It just happened that Raven was a subplot character and Lexi happened to make a good ally, so she just got screwed.**


	31. Into the Tubes

**Lumen Hal (D3Murderer)**

"How many people are in this room?" Charlotte asked me, looking at me in confusion. I was just as confused as she was, first by her name, and second by the fact that she didn't understand me. I didn't understand myself, but I got the basic questions she was asking me. They weren't hard to understand, just like my answers weren't.

"Two," I replied, fully confidently. There were two people in the room. One was me. One was Charlotte. Unless math had suddenly changed, two was two.

"Okay. How many people are in your head?" she continued, still trying to get a feel for me. I suppressed a sigh as she asked that for the second time.

"One. It's just me," I said with a tinge of sass. She seemed smart. She acted smart and talked smart and said sensible things. So how hard was it to understand that I knew good and well I was unstable?

"And how many people are talking to you?"

"It's... well, Scorcha, the Hunter, Raven, and Lexi, so that makes four. Four people are talking to me now, and they like to heckle all of my actions." _Four._ I could only remember three of their names. I couldn't tell if that was a lucky thing or if that made me an even more terrible person, but it was a fact. Charlotte had said to speak only in facts, not in emotions, for the first part of the session. I could do that. It was to keep Ginger slightly less unhappy.

"But there aren't six people in the room?" Charlotte said slowly, still unable to wrap her mind around what I was saying. I heard the voices begin mocking her, mocking me for not being able to explain myself to her. Scorcha was always the loudest. I had killed her second, leaving her thinking she was safe. She was screaming at me, making me want to clutch at my ears.

"There are two people. I know that. I know the voices aren't real, okay? I thought I was being haunted at first, but I'm not. It's a guilty conscience. Can I just get some pills or something? I know it's only us. Therapy can't help that. I just need everyone to shut up." I caught myself before I said _everyone in my head._ That would have confused Charlotte even farther, even though it wasn't totally literal. The voices were in my head. The people weren't.

"Yeah, I guess I can get you medication. Please don't call the medicine 'pills,' though. That looks bad for business. Let me write a prescription... and here you go! Good luck with your upcoming surgery!" Charlotte typed while she spoke, giving me a written form. I couldn't use a picture ID, since my face was being remade. I needed a carbon copy of my prescription so I could get my Sanity in a Bottle.

 _This will shut them up._

* * *

 **Enigma Fenn (D1Mentor)**

Alexandria and Prosper walked into the tubes fully confidently, neither of them missing a beat. _Neither of them are putting up a front. They know they're going to make it past the Bloodbath. Prosper will crack first. Alexandria will be lying in wait for that moment._ I smiled at my tributes, offering up a wave before they disappeared from my sight. I was almost definitely right. That didn't mean anyone had to know what I thought of them.

* * *

 **Totsuki Sugihara (D2Mentor)**

Gallant didn't doubt himself for a second when he walked into his tube. _Good. Confident, as all Careers should be._ Cassiopeia's nervousness was dripping off of her, but I consciously decided to write it off as pre-Games jitters, not actual self-doubt. No self-respecting Two would show anything other than excitement while getting into the tubes. It was a time of pride, not fear.

* * *

 **Alesandro Ferme (D3Mentor)**

"All right, Radian. You've got this. Every sponsor I get is going towards you. You don't have to worry about anything. Three's freaking out over the murder," I said to my charge, watching him shake as he got into the tube. It was a very human reaction, especially since he had his mortality shown to him when his District partner was killed. I was freaking out, too. I had lost two Threes in a row, and there was a chance I was going to lose my third one in a year.

* * *

 **Talaysa Pool (D4Mentor)**

"Don't worry about anything, Tina! You're totally perfect. You won't have a hard time at all," I said to Tina while she got into the tube. She had a serious face on, but she definitely didn't want to kill kids. She was the type of person that just knew someone had to die and she was making sure no one else would live with guilt. I wasn't as sure about Rio as I was Tina, but I gave him my best encouraging smile while he got into his tunnel. One Four was guaranteed to die every year anyways.

* * *

 **Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)**

"Oh, this is going to be easy. Run into the Bloodbath, grab what I need, and get out," Adair said while he got into his tunnel. I let him talk, knowing he needed all the confidence he could get. There was no way he was going to run in, anyways. Cecilia held character and didn't say anything while the tunnels rose up, and I didn't pressure her. She didn't need anyone telling her what to do and breaking her confidence at the last second.

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (D6Mentor)**

"All right. Remember, the Games are very, very real. You have to keep yourself safe," I said to Nixon, who was already shaking in his boots. I felt bad for scaring the kid, especially because his doubt for himself was wafting off of him, but I had to remind him that he was in danger. He was dumb. He could forget.

"I'm going to die. At least there'll be a pretty sunset," Rhiannon said, and I found that I didn't have the words to comfort her. I couldn't guarantee life. I could just keep it going for as long as possible.

* * *

 **Cassia Rose (D7Mentor)**

I reached in to hug YVette before the Games began. I wasn't supposed to get attached to my kids. I knew one of them was going to die. Yvette didn't need the hug. She was looking on ahead, so prepared for what was to come. I still couldn't stop myself from feeling a couple of tears trickling down my face as she stepped into her tube, embarrassed that she could handle the death of her friends better than I could. "It's all right. You've got this."

I didn't know if I was speaking to her or myself.

* * *

 **Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

"All right. Both of you know the plan. Get in, get out. Don't grab anything too far in. Isaac, you're getting out with your alliance. Lacey, grab two things tops, unless it's a winter or summer Arena. If it's awful, grab more." I rambled to the tributes while they pretended to listen, both too nervous to hear me. Isaac knew he couldn't run with his legs. Lacey knew that debating wouldn't help her in the Arena. I knew that I was just rambling to ramble. But we all pretended that wasn't the case, and we all pretended we were confident Eight was going to get another Victor.

* * *

 **Flora Amphora (D9Escort/Mentor)**

Jade didn't look at me while she stepped into her tube. She walked in, leaving me happy while she was gone. I wasn't really scared of her. The murderer had been caught. It was just annoying how confident she was. Jacob seemed to be more nervous, though I heard him muttering plans to himself. "Remember, smile at the cameras a lot! Try to be friendly and don't insult the Capitol. I'll be getting you all the sponsors in the world! At least, enough to send a couple of nice things."

* * *

 **Nyra Pickering (D10Mentor)**

Lumara couldn't be helped by me. She was confident in herself, knowing exactly what she was doing with her poisons. I couldn't help a deranged Ten who couldn't get supplies. I also couldn't really help Theo, who was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do in the Bloodbath. "Get in and get out," I had said at least fifteen times, but the words weren't going to hold any meaning in the Games. The memories of my Bloodbath flashed brightly in my mind, reminding me of the riches in supplies and lack of much else.

* * *

 **Cherry Aims (D11Mentor)**

Arkane and Amelia looked at each other confidently before they got into the tubes. They had a plan for their alliance and I knew it. I wasn't going to try to do anything to change it, though I hoped with all of my heart that it was a good plan. "Stick together until the end. I'll get you any sponsors I can. Don't be greedy in the Bloodbath unless you have an amazing plan - and remember, my plan in the Bloodbath included ganging up on the Careers. Be confident and know you've got this." The words wouldn't stick, but nobody could say I didn't try.

* * *

 **Bellepheron Steed (D12Escort/Mentor)**

Nyle was finally doubting himself, staring at the tube with apprehension. _He's less ready than he thought, but isn't everyone?_ Indie wasn't doubting herself any more than I was used to, but that wasn't saying much. Neither of my tributes were confident when they walked into their tubes, and I didn't have many words for either of them.

"Nyle, remember your training. You can likely take down one Career. Indie, run. If they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you." I had heard that quote in a book somewhere, and it meant a lot to me. That girl could run like the wind. Maybe she could run from the world.

* * *

 **Ta-da! Next up is the countdown, then the Bloodbath! We're getting so close.**

 **While this isn't a voting Games, the readers' opinions DO affect the outcome - if there's someone you particularly love or hate, it's good to let me know, because I don't want to Bloodbath the best character (or have the worst be Victor).**

 **Apologies in advance for if I made any mistakes; I wrote this at school without my files.**


	32. Countdown

**Prosper Mallister (18) D1M**

 _60... 59... 58... 57... 56..._

 _A t-shirt and jeans. This isn't going to be a hard Arena, then. All right._ I looked around myself quickly while the time counted down. Lumara and Amelia were to my right and left. Most of the Careers were directly across from me, standing in front of the... clothing section? I wasn't worried about them. I was looking at the sword in the Cornucopia.

* * *

 **Nixon Hankook (13) D6M**

 _55... 54... 53... 52... 51..._

I noticed quickly that it was an inside Arena. _All right. If everything's real, you're gonna wanna run. Don't touch any of the supplies. Boy, there's a lot of food._ I turned around on my pedestal to keep myself from being tempted, just to see a huge stock of food behind me. Fruits, vegetables, meats, and cakes were everywhere. _What? Is this a grocery store?_

* * *

 **Theodore Elaine (15) D10M**

 _50... 49... 48... 47... 46..._

Isaac was two to my right. I could see supplies behind him, as well as a bunch of things where Radian was running, across the Cornucopia from us. I signed a couple of things to Isaac, knowing anybody could easily pick up on what I was saying. I just had to pray that Nyle, the only threat in between us, would be too distracted by the Bloodbath to care when we slipped away.

* * *

 **Arkane Erransaw (16) D11M**

 _45... 44... 43... 42... 41..._

 _Really? You're nearby Prosper?_ Prosper wasn't far from me, but neither were the supplies. I looked around quickly, scanning for anything within quick reach that I could safely grab. I wasn't going to go as far in as I would have liked with a Career breathing down my neck, but I saw a baton obviously meant to bait me in farther. _I could probably outrun him. Maybe Lumara will do something dumb._

* * *

 **Radian Sempli (16) D3M**

 _40... 39... 38... 37... 36..._

 _Of course Theo and Isaac are across the whole Cornucopia. Because screw me, that's why._ I couldn't risk running right towards my allies. I had to duck out of the Cornucopia immediately, trying desperately to avoid both Alexandria and Argentina, who were _right beside me._ Unlike my allies. I could see Nixon eyeing up something behind him, and I realized I wasn't the only one running for the supplies behind us.

* * *

 **Lacey Evans (16) D8F**

 _35... 34... 33... 32... 31..._

Arkane and Rio were beside me. In theory, that was fine. Rio was likely to make a silly mistake and not be able to kill me. I doubted that Arkane would be doing any real killing in the Bloodbath; he seemed like the type to get in and get out. My eyes locked on a crossbow in front of me, loaded with bolts. It was right by a nightstick I didn't need, but I figured I would grab. I could stop someone else from getting it.

* * *

 **Yvette Ishi (12) D7F**

 _30... 29... 28... 27... 26..._

 _Crud. You really shouldn't run in._ Gallant was right beside me, standing threateningly tall beside the supplies I could see. Luckily, he was staring right into the center of the Cornucopia, where there was a series of knives. _Maybe he won't notice you. Maybe he won't notice you touch the case with a skull and crossbones on it. Maybe he's too dumb to know what it is._

* * *

 **Jade Hart (15) D9F**

 _25... 24... 23... 22... 21..._

 _There are supplies everywhere. You absolutely don't need anything in that Cornucopia. Why would you go in?_ I saw Careers staring at their weapons of choice and realized that it _would_ be nice to have a weapon. Still, I couldn't risk running in with Cassiopeia and Gallant right by me. _Hide and hunt. You remember the plan._ One loner could find a weapon another way.

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

 _20... 19... 18... 17... 16..._

Isaac and Adair were the two people closest to me. The closest Career was Rio, who had to go past both Isaac and Indie to get to me. _You could run right in, no problem. Keep an eye out for Gallant and Rio, but none of them are going to do anything._ There didn't seem to be many survival supplies in the Cornucopia, but it was chock full of weapons, any of which would be useful.

* * *

 **Cassiopeia Palassaqua (17) D2F**

 _15... 14... 13... 12... 11..._

I could feel air conditioner wafting down from the ceiling lightly while music played in the background. It was quiet and clearly not supposed to be noticed, but I was listening to every note. It was calming, which was necessary when Alexandria was right next to me, able to see my every move and realize if I didn't kill anyone. _Just grab the throwing knives. If you kill someone, you kill someone._

* * *

 **Rhiannon Raimers (16) D6F**

 _10... 9... 8... 7... 6..._

 _You're really right between Alexandria and Cassiopeia. Frick._ I wasn't going to be able to run in before I left. I was going to have to book it out of the Bloodbath as quickly as possible, making sure nobody else could get near me. There were plenty of supplies behind me, so I wasn't worried about surviving. _It's an inside Arena, though. So much for that sunset._

* * *

 **Tina Hudson (18) D4F**

 _5... 4... 3... 2... 1..._

As the one flashed on the screen, I heard the beeping of a parachute. _Who's getting a sponsor gift during the Bloodbath?_ I thought to myself. Then I saw the parachute floating down delicately to me, landing beautifully on my pedestal and not setting off any of the mines. _Oh. I guess you don't have to run in. You can just start killing right away._

 ** _Let the 23rd Annual Hunger Games Begin!_**

* * *

 **:) I'm updating this one right with the Bloodbath, so make sure you see both chapters (unless you don't care about this one, which is honestly pretty understandable). See you then!**


	33. Bloodbath

**Lacey Evans (16) D8F**

I ran into the fray immediately when the gong rang, headed straight for the crossbow. It was my only real skill, the thing I could use most to win the Games. My hands locked around it and I picked it up, headed immediately to load it. The bolts were heavy in my hands, ready to be fired once everything was clear, and I reached down to grab the baton before I left when I felt a heavy weight against my back.

* * *

 **Arkane Erransaw (16) D11M**

Nobody had to get hurt. I didn't want to kill anyone right away. But there was nothing to be done when Lacey reached for my baton. It was in there for me. I knew the Gamemakers wanted me to have it. So I had immediately ran for it, having no choice but to wrestle it from Lacey's arms when she tried to grab it. I hit her with the baton once, then again when I saw her reaching for the bolts she had. I kept going until I knew she wasn't going to get back up. I just didn't have a choice.

* * *

 **Rio Ryine (15) D4M**

I didn't have to kill anyone. Indie ran the second the gong went off, and Arkane was taking care of Lacey. I ran directly into the Center of the Cornucopia where I could grab a beautiful trident right in the center. The second I had it in my hands, I looked for any nearby targets. I didn't want to kill someone right away, but if anyone went for the Cornucopia, I wouldn't have a choice.

One person seemed to go in. He was big and tall, but I wasn't going to let that scare me. I threw my trident at him just before he got up to run away, watching as it landed in his knee instead of his back. He could have run, but something stopped him.

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

I didn't have time to really react to whatever lodged itself in my leg. I was running away from the fray, cringing with every scream I heard. I had my sword, and I wasn't going to be stopped. Not until some kid got right in my way. I almost tripped over him, so I quickly pulled out my sword and ran it through him. I couldn't let myself be stopped when I was already injured. I had to do everything I could to keep on going.

* * *

 **Isaac Carder (14) D8M**

 _All right, you got this. Just gotta get to Theodore. No one's even in your way. You're so close. You're going to make this._ I was running as fast as I could, figuring I could really make it. There was a good chance for someone like me in an Arena with so many hiding spots. A better chance than any other, at least. I was almost to Theo when I saw someone right next to me.

"Oh, sorry!" I began to say, jumping back from the man with a limp. He stabbed me right in the chest before running off, and I fell down with the impact. _I didn't want to run into you. I was just running._

* * *

 **Amelia Gomez (17) D11F**

I ran. There was no point in me heading into the Bloodbath, not with Prosper so close to me. I was lucky when he didn't even seem to notice me, instead running right to the center of the fray. I saw Arkane kill someone and pretended not to. Each death was going to hurt, but no more than it had to. I wouldn't let it get to me. I just had to get to the huge stash of groceries I saw right in front of me and make a camp for our alliance.

* * *

 **Cecilia Q. (16) D5F**

I ran in just a step. I had to grab the beautiful knives that were stocked in the Cornucopia, beautiful and glittering in the light. They had _jewel-encrusted handles._ The Capitol was just being overdramatic, but I ignored that. They were gorgeous and perfect, leaving me with the ability to make kills and be fashionable while I did it. I reached them and turned to see that I had to use one right away. _Such a shame,_ I thought, sad to break up the set while I threw my first knife.

* * *

 **Prosper Mallister (18) D1M**

 _Excuse me what the frick?_ I understood that the Bloodbath was a fray, but I was a Career. I was big and strong and dangerous, and most people would have avoided me. I had just run towards the center to protect supplies when I felt a knife land squarely in my shoulder. Turning to see who had thrown it, I saw a small, younger-looking outer-District kid.

There was only one reasonable response to that. I tackled the girl, not giving her a chance to throw another knife. She tried to stab me, but I easily pinned her. I had to weigh twice as much as she did. Then I wrestled her knife from her hands and stabbed her in the neck, leaving the blood to flow around her hair while her face was untouched. _One work of art._

* * *

 **Lumara Hansen (17) D10F**

The first thing I grabbed in the Bloodbath was a knife. It was big and long, and it looked totally wicked. I would have preferred poisons, but those were across the whole Cornucopia from me. That wasn't something I wanted to deal with. I was going to run from the fray the second I had a backpack, but I felt something dig in deeply to my leg. I turned, looking for who threw it, and saw a girl staring at me in awe. I could have given her time to recoup, but that would have been a terrible idea. Instead, I flicked a spear on the ground her way, nodding when she fell.

* * *

 **Indie Rayne (15) D12F**

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, knowing there was no chance for me in the Bloodbath. The supplies would have been nice, but they were everywhere. I couldn't risk my life trying to grab them. Instead, I ran straight for the huge stocks of clothing, not really caring where I ended up. I had to get to immediate safety first. I would worry about permanent safety once the Bloodbath was over.

* * *

 **Argentina "Tina" Hudson (18) D4F**

The sponsor gift had been a trident. It was exactly what I needed to immediately make a mark on the Careers, making sure I stayed important and granting a quick, easy kill for whoever my victim was. My trident flew quite well, hitting the person I was aiming for square in the... leg? _No. That's impossible. You don't miss. You never, ever miss._

Never in my life had I missed a shot with a trident. It was a talent as much as it was a skill for me. Yet here I had missed, right when it mattered most. I stared at the wound, unable to move, until I felt a spear go all the way through my chest. I could have pulled it out, but my cannon was coming. It didn't matter what I did.

* * *

 **22nd Place: Lacey Evans - Beaten by Arkane**

 **Lacey wasn't really submitted as a Bloodbath, and I didn't originally intend for her to die here at first. However, I couldn't really see her winning, and my Bloodbath looked like it was going to be pitifully small, so I really had to take what I could get (and trust me, I was reaching). She was still awesome, though, and she definitely left a mark on Arkane. Thank you to TheNoobyBoy for Lacey, who will be forever remembered.**

 **21st Place: Isaac Carder - Stabbed through by Nyle**

 **Again, Isaac wasn't really supposed to die. I was going to keep him around for a bit, but LCS said it was okay if I killed him in the Bloodbath, and I really needed more people. Isaac was a kickbutt dude who wasn't supposed to win, but was supposed to be interesting until then. He did awesome, and I'm sure his death will matter. Thank you to LCS for Isaac who was full of rickets and destined to die.**

 **20th Place: Cecilia Q. - Fistfight with Prosper**

 **Wow, three in a row. Nobody was really submitted as a Bloodbath this year. Others could have been picked, but Cecilia got the bad draw (literally, I drew names out of hats for where people were and she just didn't get a nice spot). I didn't see her winning, but she sure did leave a mark - Prosper's shoulder really hurts :( Thank you to NotYou21 for Cecilia, who could have been kickbutt if she handed landed right next to a threat.**

 **19th Place: Argentina Hudson - Speared by Lumara**

 **A'ight, peeps. A secret long (and barely) in the keeping, Argentina was a _Sue._ She got the best score, the best Parade outfit, the best interview. She was totally perfect in personality and never ever ticked anyone off. She knew exactly what she was doing at all times, except for the time she messed up. Thank you to Pi for Argentina, who was submitted as a totally awesome Bloodbath. She was lit, yo.**

 **So here we have it. A Wal-Mart Arena. Yes, I'm using this all the way. Yes, it's totally dumb and going to be ridiculous. But it'll be reasonably ridiculous, not ridiculously so.**

 **TWO IMPORTANT NOTES: This is my SECOND TIME updating today. I'm releasing this chapter rapid-fire once I put up the Countdown (literally wrote the Countdown then this and am now updating this).**

 **SECOND: These POVs don't count towards overall count because they're short. I random number generated a few (basically the ones that weren't deaths/kills), and others were deaths or kills, so they don't really matter yet. After this, though, all POVs will be counted as needed.**

 **Even if your tribute is dead, you're 100% allowed to sponsor and mess everything up for tributes!**


	34. Sponsors Already

**Indie Rayne (15) D12F**

The Arena seemed reasonably large, but it definitely wasn't huge. I had to find a hiding spot with easy running, and I had to find one fast. The Careers were heading for supplies, but I knew it wouldn't be long until they were on the hunt. I had to be as far away from there as possible, and I was already getting to that point. I had cleared a whole bunch of the Arena in what had to have been minutes, watching as aisle after aisle flew past me and ignoring anything that didn't seem important.

I passed row after row of groceries, figuring other tributes would be there quickly. I ignored the snack foods after grabbing a couple of bags, figuring a little stash of supplies would be useful, and I ran right past all the books I saw. No one else would be there, but I wasn't really seeking out books to stay in. I needed something slightly useful, just nothing so important that everyone would flock to where I was. I needed a hidden supply, something nobody would consider.

 _There._ My eyes locked on rows of pet supplies, gross things nobody would want anything to do with. I saw potential I hoped nobody else would. There were cat toys made of rope. There was cat food that was "Made with 100% real meat!" There were sunflower seeds for birds and peanuts for rats. Most importantly, though, there were fish tanks full of exotic fish, fish that I hoped were edible. They were hidden from easy sight, tucked into the back nearby a bathroom. Nobody would go there right away. At least I hoped they wouldn't.

Much to my surprise, while I was still setting up camp, finding places to stash the bits of food I had grabbed, I heard a dainty tinkling come from above me. I looked up to see a silver parachute falling down above me, delicately coming to rest beside me. I couldn't believe it. I was a fifteen-year-old from Twelve, but I had sponsors. That seemed impossible, but I would take it. I was going to need all the help I could get to win the Games.

I ripped open the sponsor package to find a black lacquered box with gold engravings. I opened that to find a bowl of rice, chopsticks, a roll of rice with fish in it, and some raw fish laid across more rice. It looked surprisingly tasty for being nothing but raw meat. I picked up my chopsticks and immediately tore into eat, shoveling stickful after stickful of rice and meat into my mouth. That wouldn't stay good long. It was raw meat. I had to get it gone fast. Especially since I could feel the fish I was sitting next to judging me with every mouthful.

* * *

 **Rhiannon Raimers (16) D6F**

It was hard to run with a backpack slung over my shoulders, but I knew I had to. I ran across the rows of cash registers, cutting straight past a couple aisles of chocolate. Of course, I snagged a couple handfuls of candy while I ran, but I refused to really slow down. Anything that couldn't be grabbed in a fraction of a second was something that could be ignored instead. I figured the Careers were running the other way, heading to where I saw piles of meat, but I couldn't be too sure. I had to get a lot of distance between myself and them before I could think of slowing down.

After running and running past aisles of makeup and toys, I found something of interest. In front of me there were bows and arrows, knives, and guns. They were locked behind glass, but it would be an easy task to shatter it. I took the crossbow and its bolts before turning, not willing to lurk in one spot for too long just yet. I slung the bow over my shoulder, making it virtually useless for the time being but unable to carry it in another way. There wasn't any good way to carry the bolts, either, so I shoved those into my backpack.

 _Jackpot,_ I thought when I saw what was directly behind me. Mostly, there was toys, totally useless stuff that would be ignored by a tribute. More importantly, there were bikes. Most of them were half my size and basically worthless, but a couple were adults sized, useful even to a girl who was six feet tall. I decided to make camp right there, carrying a bike and hiding behind the weapons section. I could safeguard those and be hidden from the Careers, ready to speed off in an instant if I had to. I was the best set tribute in the Arena.

Because I had so many supplies, I didn't know what to expect when I heard a sponsor gift float down above me. I looked up and grabbed the silky prize, excited to see what could be in such a small package. I hoped it would be food, though I was certain I could grab some at another time. I could fly past anyone who was guarding it on my bike, snagging a bit before zooming past. That was good, since it wasn't food. It was a key.

A note laid beside the key. **"When you are grateful - when you can see what you have - you unlock blessings to flow in your life."** **~Suze Orman** I had no idea what that meant, and I didn't particularly care. _I already smashed the lock,_ I thought to myself, staring at my "treasure" in wonder. _Why would you waste your money on a key I don't need?_ I decided that didn't matter. Someone wanted me to have a key, so I key I would keep.

* * *

 **Lumara Hansen (17) D10F**

We didn't know where we were going. Nobody did, since the Arena was new to all of us, but that didn't make it any less true for us. We were running to nowhere in particular, hoping none of us got stabbed in the back before we got somewhere useful. I could see my allies looking for somewhere useful, considering the grocery aisles before changing their minds. The Careers were definitely going to be going after those. While we outnumbered them, and we could probably take them down, we all knew that there would be casualties on both sides. None of us were willing to be the casualties.

We flew past rows of other things we saw to be useless. Craft supplies blew past us, and we ignored them. Party supplies weren't worth noticing, nor were the aisles of toys. We needed food or weapons. Once we had secured one we could focus on the other. But they didn't seem to want to pop up anywhere except for the grocery aisles, which monumentally ticked me off. There was plenty of food where we couldn't go.

A jug of something caught my eye, and I let it flit there, settling. "We're headed there," I said, pointing to multiple rows of car supplies. I wasn't really the leader of the alliance, but nobody was. I would do it if I had to, and I could fake total confidence in myself until then. People accepted anything someone confident said.

"Okay, but why?" Jacob asked, ducking into the aisles with the rest of us. I ran in slightly ahead of him, getting a little extra excited when I saw a bathroom.

"Why here?" I asked rhetorically, ready to begin a grand explanation. "Because there's probably water in that bathroom, but, more importantly, there are _tires._ Do you see all of them? We could use those to make a fortress. And there's oil, which is crazy flammable. And there's other fluids we could use to trip up other tributes."

I was cut off from explaining when a parachute tinkled down above me. I caught it just before it landed on my head, as confused as possible when I saw the _10_ engraved on it. I opened it, unaware as to what it could be, and found a chest. It was locked, making it virtually useless, and it was made of metal. _Well screw me sideways._ I slammed it against the wall anyways to see if I could shatter it, but all I got from that was one very sore wrist.

 **"Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy."**

 **~Lao Tzu** a note read, not giving me any useful insight whatsoever. I threw it to the ground and decided to ignore it. Why did I care what some Tzu guy said? Answer: I didn't. I needed to work on some traps.

* * *

 **All right people! This is going to be my last update for the month. School just got out and I'm trying to get myself off the computer more often :D I won't abandon this or anything, but you don't need to check in for at least thirty days.**


	35. The Ghost Becomes What It Really Is

**Adair Brites (16) D5M**

 _Not allying was not the way to go._ Of course, nobody could have known that before the Games began. I didn't need to always be near people with the threat of a knife at my back. I figured I would grab some small supplies and _hide in a tree._ I couldn't have accounted for the fact that all the supplies were brightly labeled, and people with alliances had dibs on them. I couldn't have accounted for the fact that I would be running _away_ from the supplies, hoping there would be some unlabeled water somewhere. That just wasn't supposed to happen.

 _Restrooms,_ a sign in front of me read. It was a ways off, but I was running right for it. Restrooms meant water, assuming the Capitol wasn't being a total jerk this year. Other tributes might want the bathroom too, but I figured anyone I couldn't fight was elsewhere, where there were water bottles and normal food. If a tribute wasn't in an alliance, odds were, I could take them.

Before I reached the bathrooms, I reached the books. The bathrooms were tucked behind multiple rows of books, more books than Five's library had. I looked at each of them passively, acknowledging the ones I knew and noting the ones I didn't. Books would be a good place to make camp. They were dense, making it hard for projectiles to go through them, and they were slippery when opened. If I was attacked, I had tens, maybe hundreds, of books to throw at my assailant. It would be easy to defend myself.

Right after the books, I reached the bathroom. I ran into it, breathing heavily but not willing to stop. There was a small employee door, giving customers a warning to stay out that I was definitely going to ignore. There was also a door marked "Men," which I went into. It was closer than the women's restroom. I was greeted with lines of sinks when I walked in, and I immediately ran my hands past them, noting that they were motion-activated. The first one didn't work. Neither did the second, or the third. The fourth, however, let out a dazzling, beautiful spray of water. It was all I could possibly hope for, leaving me with the knowledge that the other sinks probably worked. They were just fussy.

I sat down in the bathroom, trying to make note of what was around me, when I heard a parachute coming down. It was dinging quite quickly, and I looked up to see not one, but two. I grabbed the lower one first, ripping it open to find a small box lunch and a dagger. It contained no note and needed none. With that parachute, I had all the supplies I needed. I had food, water, and a lethal weapon. I could defend myself in the bathroom, not needing to worry as much about who would find me.

The second parachute was smaller than the first, and I opened it to come face-to-face with a book I hadn't seen on the shelves. It was signed by the author, or signed by me. It was likely worthless, but only three books like it existed in Panem. Attached to it was a note. _:(_

* * *

 **Rio Ryine (15) D4M**

The Careers were all optimistic. We had lost one of our own, yes, but none of us were too worried. We had plenty of food, and any Career who died via outlier, _during the Bloodbath,_ wasn't a Career they considered all that useful. I was a little sad to see her go, because Tina was always so nice, but I wasn't going to risk piping up in a situation where I was already the odd one out. Being fifteen was one weakness. Letting the Careers think I was stupid? That was signing my own death notice.

"I made sandwiches!" I called out instead, having sneaked off while the others were doing inventory. _They_ were counting how many pounds of salami, ham, turkey, chicken, and whatever else was in the deli we had. _I_ was pilfering the cakes I saw and making delicious sandwiches, some of every meat. Since I didn't have any mayonnaise, it wasn't like they were going to go bad too quickly. _Stupid mayo, not being kept in the deli._

"Oooh, what kind?" Cassiopeia asked, instantly reaching out for one. They were all on simple bread, since I had wanted to save the buns for a better day, when we needed more of a morale boost. Sure, we had more garlic bread than we could eat, and we had dozens of donuts, but the Games could last a while, and people ate a lot of donuts when sad.

"Every kind!" I said back, gesturing to the sizable stack behind me. Sure, some of the sandwiches had slices of banana in them, and one was laced with a peach. The others could handle that, or I assumed they could. Surely no one would commit murder over some fruit in their sandwich.

We sat and ate, each of us willing to abandon our stations since we were sitting in a circle. I took a turkey sandwich, happy to have something that tasted exactly 0% like fish, and Prosper took a ham one. Cassiopeia chose salami, Alexandria chose turkey, and the look on Gallant's face told me he had selected the banana one.

I was certain I was going to get a funny reaction. Gallant spat out part of his sandwich, and instantly, everyone turned on me, worried I had, for some reason, poisoned exactly one sandwich. I jumped up backwards, not wanting to get stabbed by one of my own allies over what was supposed to be a harmless prank, and we almost didn't hear the footsteps behind us over Gallant loudly explaining that he hadn't been poisoned. He just didn't like bananas.

* * *

 **Jade Hart (15) D9F**

Everything was going perfectly. I had sat in the bathroom, squatting, for what must have been hours, but I didn't mind. It gave me time to admire a small slice of graffiti and add on a bit of my own, utilizing a small stick of charcoal someone had sent me. I couldn't imagine who. Few people knew about my love for art, but I was going to leave my mark eternally in the Arena. Even if the Capitol washed it off, though, it gave me something to do while I waited.

When the Careers began to argue, I saw my chance. On the one hand, they wouldn't take long to argue. On the other, I was only about a hundred feet away. It wouldn't take me long at all to get in and get out. I hopped up, scaring away Mr. Rat, the cute little rat that had perched on my foot and waited with me for food, and started my tense, silent walk to the deli.

The walk there was the second easiest part, only behind the wait. I made it without a single error, grabbing bits and pieces of what I needed. One slice of ham slipped into my hands, as well as three cheese curds. One chicken breast and a slice of turkey appeared in my pockets, and I prepared to make my retreat. I knew how to be as silent as a mouse, making no sound while I left the deli. No one could possibly have noticed me. Yet somehow, the Careers did.

Gallant noticed me first, taking enough time to nod to me, muttering, "Company." The Careers around him tensed, and I took in the situation. I relied on being unseen. I relied on hardly existing at all, a wisp of knowledge, a prickling of the hairs on a neck. I was being seen. That was problematic in its own sense, but also, I was being seen by five people, each larger than I was, each presumably faster than I was. I was going to need some form of diversion, but I was in a deli. The place wasn't riddled with traps.

I took what I had. I yanked the meat slicer, disconnecting its cord from the wall, and threw it at the Careers before hopping over the counter, making a break for it. The slicer slowed down Cassiopeia, whose arm it sliced, and Prosper, who took the weight of it, but Rio was on me in a second, the closest Career of them all.

Halfway to the bathroom, I knew I was going to be caught. I turned and threw a slice of ham at Rio's face, slicing him with a pocketknife I had pilfered from the Cornucopia during the Bloodbath. He was on me in a second, taking me down easily via a weight advantage. I fumbled with my knife, slamming it into his side over and over again. He retaliated easily, slipping the knife from my hands and breaking a finger in the process.

I knew long before Rio killed me that I was going to die. It was only a matter of time before I became a ghost, haunting the land that had killed me. But I also knew I was going down petty. Rio easily stabbed me in the throat. I reached up, ignoring the pain in my broken fingers, and dragged him down farther. His neck was painfully exposed, and my teeth clamped down hard, leaving me with the taste of blood.

* * *

 **I'mmm back! My updates might be a little sporadic for a while, because I'm not really in the groove, but at least I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth anymore (: Enjoy drama.**

 **18th Place: Jade Hart - Throat slit by Rio**

 **Jade was an interesting character. Her ghostly nature was interesting to play around with, but I couldn't see myself developing her well and thoroughly, or using her as a good Victor. She was supposed to raid the Cornucopia, but silent in Nine is not silent to the Careers. Thank you to abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz005 for a character who certainly did leave a mark on the Arena, and for having a really long username.**

 **17th Place: Rio Ryine - Throat removed by Jade**

 **I've been planning a double death for a while, and Rio just happened to be the target. He was a cool kid, but he was also fifteen and dumb. He wasn't the strongest Career, but he happened to be the one close enough to Jade to attack. Rio was fun enough to have around, but again, I couldn't see myself doing much with him. Thank you to Anna Banana for Rio, who would have made an amazing citizen, and for having a short name.**

 **Yo random note, but if I kill your tribute, odds are there's nothing wrong with them. I either didn't happen to like them or I knew I couldn't do much with them. That being said, anyone who I kill has complete permission to submit their tributes to another story, in case any of you have been eyeing up another story that requires permission.**


	36. Two X Chromosomes

**Arkane Erransaw (16) D11M**

I was the first person to notice the other tribute nearby us. She was a couple yards away, far enough that she likely could have remained hidden easily enough, but that didn't matter too much. She was another tribute, meaning she was either with us for now, or she was against us, as everyone would be soon enough. We had to find out, no matter the cost, and we had to do it before she had time to make a plan against us.

"You see her?" I asked Amelia first, making a small gesture towards the girl. Of course, my District partner had to be the first person I spoke to. She was, after all, the closest thing I had to home, the closest piece to me of my family. She was the most trusted person in the alliance, at least to me. I wasn't going to break that trust, even if she didn't yet hold it for me.

"Hm?" was the first response I got, followed by a widening of Amelia's eyes when she saw the other tribute, crouched underneath a counter. She quickly called the rest of the alliance together, and we had to make a game plan.

"She can't kill us all," Lumara said, notably unsure of herself. The girl was hiding behind a bunch of weapons, for goodness sake. She might not be able to take down five people, but she could definitely take down one or two.

"Better we approach her before she gets to us," Nyle stated, and we all knew he was right. None of us wanted to get shot. None of us wanted to be sixteenth, following behind in others' footsteps. We were doing the best we could to stay kicking, and none of us was willing to die to let the others live.

"Either we risk one of us dying now, or all of us dying in a sneak attack. We have no choice but to approach her. She has a _bow and arrow._ That could snipe us from so far away," I said, and again, we all knew it was the truth. We had to risk one of us getting shot. We had to risk one of us getting killed.

"We all approach at once," Lumara said, looking around to make sure everyone was all right with that. "It'll scare her more, but that's the intent. Shooting one tribute isn't half as dangerous as shooting the ally of four nearby tributes, and we need her to know what she's getting into from the get-go. Maybe she's a friendly, but we can't assume anything.

We all nodded, Jacob grabbing a gallon of oil and Lumara grabbing her chest, presumably to whack the girl on the head with. What other choice did we have?

* * *

 **Nyle van Buren (17) D12M**

It was decided that I'd lead the meeting, for some reason. Surely sending one of the strongest, tallest males was the best option for not scaring a child. The good news was that Amelia was right beside me. She was muscular, sure, but less intimidating to someone who didn't know they were being approached. People tended to assume women wouldn't attack.

"Hey," Amelia whispered once we were within hearing range of the girl. Amelia had crouched down, trying to seem as unintimidating as possible, and I followed suit, motioning to my allies behind me to do the same. The last thing we needed was a fight with a girl with... was that a key? _And oh my gosh they have a bunch of guns what sort of weird grocery store just sells guns?!_

Immediately, the girl jumped, pointing her crossbow at us. Amelia's hands flew up, as did mine, and she spoke quickly and quietly. "Hey, we don't wanna hurt you. We want you to join our alliance. We'd be even more of a powerhouse, and you wouldn't have to worry about being so close to us. Plus, there's no way you can kill all five of us. Just don't try." I was initially amazed by Amelia's diplomacy, then let down by her abruptness. _Some people._

"You're... the big alliance. The one that can take down the Careers, probably," the girl slowly realized, lowering her bow. "I'm Rhiannon. I don't wanna shoot you or anything. I just had to be safe. You know. Better safe than sorry." With a nervous chuckle, Rhiannon set down her bow, looking at the rest of us. Her face lit up in surprise when she saw Lumara's chest. "Hey, is that thing locked?"

"How... how did you know that?" Lumara asked guardedly. She didn't trust this newcomer any more than I did. We befriended her out of necessity, not kindness.

"I have the key, right here. Do you wanna open it? You can use the key if you want," Rhia said, offering out the item she must have been sponsored. Lumara took it and carefully opened the box, all of us flinching while hoping we weren't being bombed or something. There was always a chance of someone being insane with their sponsor gifts.

"What's that?" Jacob asked, showing no understanding of the metal cylinder. Lumara was shaking with excitement.

"That's a bomb. We just won the Games."

* * *

 **Cassiopeia Palassaqua (17) D2F**

"Are you ready? You sure?" I asked Gallant, making sure he had everything he needed. Alexandria was taking care of Prosper, making sure no one was severely injured, making sure no one had forgotten anything. Really, they could have easily taken care of themselves. They were both grown and both Careers. We just wanted to fuss over them for a bit to pretend we weren't sending members to hunt right after one of our own was killed, to pretend that there wasn't a chance they'd run into the huge alliance and die. Even Careers could pretend.

Once the boys - men? - were gone, Alexandria turned to me. "They're an alliance, you know," she said calmly, not bothering to sugarcoat it. "They could up and leave. Sure, we have the deli, but they have... weapons. The Arena." Brute strength went unmentioned, though we both knew that, if it came down to it, we'd lose the fistfight.

"They're... they're not gonna do that," I said, admittedly unsure of myself. "If anyone, it'd be Prosper. Gallant... Gallant's a good guy. Even if we had to play the damsel in distress role, which would be embarrassing but perhaps a necessary evil, he wouldn't leave. We have that hold on him." _He won't abandon people. Prosper likes art, so just convince him you're a work of it. Alexandria won't lose the factory. Be important to it._ Even subconsciously, I knew how to manipulate. Now that it was conscious, it was all so clear.

"You really trust him. That's good. I'm sure they won't leave, too. We'd be too much of a threat, and there are so many tributes left that it'd be idiotic. Always gotta test people," Alexandria said. I knew she was lying through her teeth, but I was too polite to call her out on it. It wasn't worth risking having her trust me less. I'd have to put up with it.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind us, coming from the opposite way Gallant had gone. I automatically turned to see who it was, only to find someone frantically biking away from us. _What?_ I casually noted the hissing noise coming from behind me, then actively noted it. _Oh my gosh there's a hissing noise, that's never a good thing._

"Get rid of it!" Alexandria yelled, grabbing onto the canister behind me. "It's... gas, I think!" Gas was enough to make a Career tremble. Gas was unavoidable.

A gas would spread to the size of its container.

* * *

 **Alexandria St. John (18) D1F**

Grabbing onto the canister didn't work. The second I touched it I could feel my hand get seared by the metal, which had obviously latched onto any heat that was near it. Even through my shirt, which I took off to wrap around the bomb, it burned. It burned to the point where my hand pulled back before I could make myself throw it, before I could really latch.

Still, I had to try. Cassiopeia was coughing up a storm, and I could feel the coughs I was barely holding in. I kicked the canister away, followed it, and kicked it again and again and again before heading over to my ally. "We're fine," I coughed out, trying to drag her away from the deli. "We're fine. We've gotta get away."

Her knees were weak. She fell to the ground, taking me down with her for just a second. I fell down with her, realizing slowly that I couldn't get up. _The gas? Is it in my clothes? Am I paralyzed? How could this..._

* * *

 **Surprise! I'm finally back. This story is currently in leeway as I quietly consider handing it off to LCS, who has volunteered to handle it for me while I'm having a terrible time trying to write. Hmu if you hate this idea or love it so I know what the fans think!**

 **16th Place: Cassiopeia Palassaqua - Poison gas**

 **Cassiopeia was real cool. Her submitter talked to me to make sure I could handle writing her, since she had some in-depth ideas to her. Honestly, I probably couldn't, at least not quite all the way, but here we are. I tried with her, and she was, doubtlessly, cool. Thank you to 66samvr for sending me a real contender, and for making sure I could handle her**

 **15th Place: Alexandria St. John - Poison gas**

 **She was so close, but she couldn't quite make it. It wouldn't have been in character for her to help Cassiopeia, except she thought she was safe to do it - no point in risking ticking off the Capitol, and it seemed safe enough. Alexandria was pretty interesting, with a neat family dynamic, but she wasn't quite the Victor I saw. Thank you to Caleb for Alexandria, who did stand a real chance. Just less of one than her allies now do.**

 **Yes, the poison gas was a sponsor gift. I likely wouldn't have allowed something that's such a powerhouse unless it was going to happen anyways, which is funny, because it wasn't submitted as one. It was called "poison gas" without strength being specified, so I made it fast-action. I needed to get enough deaths in that I could handle writing the story, and that I could propel things forward.**

 **Note: I haven't forgotten the loners (though now, with only two Careers, they'll be more prevalent). I also haven't forgotten cannons. I'm just dragging my feet here and this was all that got written. Better late than never!**


	37. It's About Time

**_Lacey Evans_** **(Arkane Erransaw)**

I couldn't believe it when I saw her face in the sky. Yes, I was the one who killed her, but it all felt surreal. There was no way a little girl was really dead because I wanted a weapon so badly. Things just didn't work like that. I knew the fact would settle in someday, but I was fine with complete denial. I couldn't win the Games if I was too busy feeling guilty.

* * *

 ** _Isaac Carder_** **(Nyle van Buren)**

Arkane and I shared knowing glances when we saw the first two faces. I knew that we both saw the face of a murderer, though neither of us would've admitted it. I didn't think I really murdered someone, since it was the Games, and Arkane refused to admit he had killed someone. We both stared a murderer in the eyes without realizing we could've just looked in a mirror.

* * *

 _ **Cecilia Q.**_ **(Radian Sempli)**

I didn't know the girl I saw in the sky. Her face flashed with her name underneath it, and without that, I wouldn't have known who it was I was looking at. A family mourned and someone cried, but all I saw was someone I didn't have to worry about anymore. I knew a little girl had died, but I didn't have time to mourn. There was food to find and living to do.

* * *

 ** _Argentina Hudson_** **(Gallant Deacon)**

The first of our alliance to go flashed in front of us. I knew she was one of the strongest of us. I knew she died in a moment's lapse of mind. It was a horrible thing to see, especially when the Careers were already down to two. It wouldn't be long until I was alone, or until I was dead. Once I was alone, death couldn't be far behind.

* * *

 _ **Jade Hart**_ **(Yvette Ishi)**

I couldn't help but shudder when I saw Jade's face flicker in the sky. She was being creepy on purpose when she talked, and I knew it, but that didn't stop it from being effective. She was dead, all right, but I was confident someone like that would never truly be gone. She would be haunting the Arena until everyone in it was gone.

* * *

 _ **Rio Ryine**_ **(Amelia Gomez)**

 _Wait, they were already down to four?_ I couldn't believe it when I saw Rio's face. The Careers were down to four before we attacked them. For once, they were dropping like flies instead of just the outliers. After a few thoughts ran through my head, it hit me that Rio was dead, but I shoved that to the back of my mind like every Victor inevitably did. Rio was dead. I could mourn the tragedy later.

* * *

 _ **Cassiopeia Palassaqua**_ **(Prosper Mallister)**

 _You may be dead, but your killers will pay._ Gallant and I didn't have a real plan for what we were going to do, but we were making things up as we went along. There had to be distance weapons we could find somewhere in the Arena. There had to be a way we could beat the people that hurt our allies. We would find that way, and we would make them pay.

* * *

 _ **Alexandria St. John**_ **(Lumara Hansen)**

 _Oh my God._ We killed two Careers. There were only two left. That was impossible. That didn't happen - it just couldn't. Our alliance was the only powerhouse left, making us practically guaranteed to win. There were two Careers left. The rest were loners, weren't they? They had to be. It seemed possible, in the weirdest of ways, that someone from my alliance would win. I had to make it me.

* * *

 **Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

 _I can't believe I lost them both right away._ I'd been through plenty of years mentoring to know that it could cause as much trauma as the actual Games. I still hadn't been prepared to watch my kids be the first two kills - well, the first two _official_ kills - of the year. It seemed impossible that both Eights could go down, one after the other. It seemed impossible that the girl I thought was just like me was dead.

* * *

 **District Eight**

Surge never really recovered from Isaac's death. You could see in his eyes every day that he wished he could have taken his brother's place, and you could tell from the way he gave away every single cent he could live without that he wanted to make sure no child would ever watch their dreams crumble again. Lacey's dad would always remember his little girl, the one who fought with all she was worth until the very end, and soon enough the debate team she was on won the District championships, headed to the Capitol for a final round. They'd never be the same without their leader, but they dedicated themselves to one last year all the same.

* * *

 **Talaysa Pool (D4Mentor)**

 _Oh, goodness. However could they have died?_ It didn't seem realistic that Argentina could have died. She was always so good at everything. And to be a Bloodbath at that! Preposterous. Rio... well, Rio was Rio. He could have known what was coming, and he did his best. Still, he might've won if he'd let me train him better. Some people didn't know that fools could learn from the wise. _Is that how the phrase goes?_

* * *

 **District Four**

The Hudson family was never the same without Argentina, each person grieving in their own way. Australia kept reading her books, but her mother and father stopped nagging her to get her nose out of them. Aeneas quietly dropped out of the Academy, and nobody mentioned it. They just pretended he was always that way, that he definitely hadn't dropped out of training to spite the Capitol. Lilly Ryine spent every day painting pictures of the brother she lost, and her mother hung them on the fridge, baking a few extra cupcakes every day to give to any kids that wandered by.

* * *

 **I'mmm back! Normally I do a POV with cannons, but I absolutely do not have the energy for this. Still, we now know I'm still capable of writing (and not doing half bad, for someone who may or may not have forgotten this existed for a while). As I keep yelling into the void, this thing is getting finished if it's the last thing I do! And if it takes over three years ;)**

 **Also yeah it's totally been more than a day. But I got lazy and didn't write cannons. It's probably been like... four? I don't keep track of time in my stories.**

 **And yeah oof I wrote Eight twice. Yeah, the last one's Four.**


	38. Inferno

**Prosper Mallister (18) D1M**

There were two of us left. I trusted Gallant, somehow, probably because he hadn't killed me yet. We took turns keeping watch and he hadn't abused his power, so he was trustworthy. That was important, since he was my only ally left, and there was an alliance of five people we still had to deal with. I wanted to destroy them for my life, but I knew Gallant wanted, just a little bit, to avenge our fallen allies. We couldn't know for sure that the large alliance had killed us, since we hadn't been there, but who else would be brave enough to attack two Careers?

"I have a plan," I said, watching as the words jarred Gallant from his thoughts. We had been walking in silence, trying to think of a way we could take out five people without being killed ourselves. A sight had jarred my thoughts, the sight of some lighter fluid and a lighter. We _were_ in the gardening section, where campfire supplies could be found. We _were_ in the gardening section, where the vases were supposed to be "artsy" when they looked like bottles. We _were_ in the gardening section, which was within eyesight of a bunch of clothing. "Let's blow them up like they blew us up."

Gallant's eyes slowly lit up as he realized what I was saying. I believed and hoped that he wasn't excited to kill but to live. I knew killing could be artful. I knew it could be beautiful when done right. But I had seen Gallant shy away from it and prefer to be calm, hoping to be more of a supporter while others hunted, and I didn't want that to die unless he did.

* * *

 **Radian Sempli (16) D3M**

Theo and I saw Prosper walking to the clothing section, grabbing about fifteen shirts, and walking back to the gardening section. We didn't know what the plan was, but we _did_ know what the Careers considered a home base, and we knew we wanted nothing to do with that. We looked at each other and nodded, refusing to say anything when a Career was so close to us, walking so close I could throw a roll to him from where I was in the last aisle of groceries. We moved all the way to the back of the store, seeing a Career with a goal and getting as far away as the Arena would allow.

* * *

 **Jacob Ezekiel (15) D9M**

We saw Gallant and Polaris approach us and knew there was trouble coming. Luckily for us, there were five of us and only two of them. We all stood up, ready to defend our territory but knowing that we'd rather avoid a fight. One of us, probably more, would die if we fought. I thought it could very well be me, seeing as I had the least valuable weapon. Amelia had a makeshift spear. Nyle had a bunch of knives. Lumara had a fishing pole, which was still better than my weapon. I had what was basically nothing but a hope and a prayer.

Still, I had to be the first to stand when Gallant and Polaris kept coming. We'd hoped that we could make enough of a show that they'd know they'd lose if they attacked, but apparently they had decided that dying was worth taking us out. So I stood, pointing my gun directly at Gallant and staring him down. "Back off. You know you're not going to win this one," I spat, trying to hide the faltering in my voice.

Gallant didn't stop. Instead, he looked at Polaris, who looked at me and laughed. "Are you going to shoot?" Polaris asked, staring me down. When I didn't, it was clear my bluff had been called. Why would I wait to shoot when I had the chance to aim? Only because, in a place full of guns, we hadn't been able to find a single bullet.

A light appeared in Gallant's hand and suddenly my skin was scorched. I turned to run and heard a second, then a third glass shatter. We had been ambushed. And, while Nyle and Amelia both dutifully threw their weapons the Careers' way, it was hard to aim when you could see nothing but smoke. Our only option was running and hoping that we didn't get hit.

* * *

 **Gallant Deacon (18) D2M**

Once we'd thrown all twelve of our Molotov cocktails, Prosper and I ran. It had definitely been overkill to use so many, but we were willing to be a bit dramatic. Prosper said it was "a beautiful showing of our human nature, the beauty shown in chaos." I thought it was a way to make sure the horrible five never attacked us again. They had taken our allies, more likely than not, and they managed to graze me with their spear. It wasn't the end of the world, but it was another nuisance to be counted against them.

We knew exactly where we were running to. We wanted to get back to the garden section, hidden far from the terrible alliance, across the fire from them. We heard the first cannon go off before we reached our hideout. We began to cough, our eyes watering, when we ran through the sliding doors that signaled the end of clearance and the beginning of gardening. We curled away from the spreading heat and the burning cardboard packaging, trying to keep ourselves as cool as possible as we realized that twelve cocktails truly was too many.

* * *

 **Yvette Ishi (12) D7F**

I heard the explosions from where I was hiding. I heard the pitter-patter of the Careers' feet as they ran right past me, taking the same path they had for days. I was hungry, but not starving. A parachute had done that for me. Still, I didn't have too long to live. Hiding where the Careers would never think to check kept me from ever being killed, but it didn't protect me from everything. It didn't guarantee me safety from the explosions I assumed the Careers had caused. Only following them into their home would do that.

* * *

 **Nixon Hankook (13) D6M**

All alone, I began to cough. All alone, I felt my eyes watering. All alone, I felt my life slowly draining for me, and only then did I begin to question myself. If I really died, that meant everyone to ever enter the Hunger Games did. If I really died, it meant the Capitol wasn't necessarily fake. If I really died, it meant people really were so cruel as to murder children. If I really died, it meant that I was better off without the world anyways.

* * *

 **Amelia Gomez (17) D11F**

Fire burned me as I ran. I could smell the flesh around me scorching and feel the fire spread and grow, taking away all life with it. Why did the Careers choose to destroy the entire Arena? A fire like this might leave nobody behind. I was already trying to gasp for air, running difficult even with the perfect incentive. The Careers hadn't just killed us. They'd destroyed the entire Arena.

* * *

 **Theodore Elaine (15) D10M**

I tried to count the cannons going off. I lost count at four. Jacob and I were far away from the chaos, but still we heard death after death, and we could only watch the cloud of smoke surrounding us grow. It approached us in our hiding spot and we knew we had nowhere to go. We were cornered as we watched death itself approach us. We were stuck just watching our futures disappear.

* * *

 **Before I get to the eulogies, I need to make one thing clear: Without this chapter, the story would never have been finished. I feel bad doing something catastrophic to wipe almost everybody out at once, but I couldn't work with this many people anymore. I needed to get to a point where writing a chapter didn't feel like a task, so I got rid of everybody except my chosen Victor and, obviously, two red herrings. So, to anyone whose tribute died in this chapter: This isn't because they were a bad character. This wasn't because you're a bad submitter. This is just because I refused to leave this unfinished but would never write without it.**

 **So, as always, I welcome anyone who submitted to this story to resubmit their characters. It obviously got a bit derailed, and I didn't intend to lose all will to write when I was like halfway through it. Better to finish weakly than never finish at all.**

 **14th Place: Jacob Ezekiel - Burns and Smoke Inhalation**

 **Jacob was a pretty cool guy. He had a simple form, which made him very writeable and easy to work with. I appreciate that, and he was strong without being super OP or anything. Thank you to willemsbakedgoods for Jacob, who totally stood a chance. It ain't his fault he got submitted to me.**

 **13th Place: Nyle van Buren - Burns and Smoke Inhalation**

 **Nyle was definitely cool. He danced to the beat of his own drummer and did his best to be strong. He was obviously submitted as Victor material, but that's fine. Some people are meant to die and advance the story, others are meant to win. While Nyle stood a strong chance, he wasn't my Victor's pick, and he didn't really inspire me, so his story ends here. Thank you to Zacksteel for Nyle, who was cooler than the screen time he got.**

 **12th Place: Arkane Erransaw, Burns and Smoke Inhalation**

 **Arkane was a very in-depth character capable of being made great. He was strong and fun to work with, but he wasn't something I could do justice for. I didn't have it in me to write this many characters anymore, so he really got the short end of the stick. Thank you to Audmirable for Arkane, who really was a strong guy.**

 **11th Place: Amelia Gomez - Burns and Smoke Inhalation**

 **Amelia was a well-rounded, likeable character who stood a good chance from the start. I saw bits of me in her, with her bluntness and lack of complex empathy, and she did a good job existing. Her only flaw was that I didn't see her winning. Thank you to Queenofinsanity for Amelia, who made the Arena a better place.**

 **10th Place: Lumara Hansen - Burns and Smoke Inhalation**

 **Lumara was complex and powerful, a killer that certainly did her job well. She was strong without being ridiculous and somewhat prepared without being a Mary Sue. She certainly affected the turnout of the Games, since this whole fiasco wouldn't have happened without her bombing people. Thank you to LordShiro for Lumara, who probably did the most indirect damage of anyone in these Games.**

 **9th Place: Adair Brites - Smoke Inhalation**

 **Adair was fantastic. His character opened up a lot of possibilities that would've been very fun to explore, but I didn't have it in me to get them done. If anyone was wondering, I fully intended to have him hide in the book section and then have his books be dramatically set ablaze, leaving a huge trail of destruction, since he loved books. However, he perished due to my tiredness. Thank you to Reader Castellan for Adair, who _was_ certainly fantastic to have.**

 **8th Place: Indie Rayne - Smoke Inhalation**

 **Indie was extremely complex and easily worked with. She made for a great character who could be used however I needed, from being a smart and sly fox to acting dumb enough that I could kill whoever I needed. Sadly for her, she was who I needed to kill. Thank you to Manny61945 for Indie, who definitely did stand a chance. Just not quite enough of one.**

 **7th Place: Rhiannon Raimers - Smoke Inhalation**

 **Rhia suffered the same fate almost everyone else in this chapter did: A good tribute, just not *the* good tribute. She was bright and bubbly and brought happiness wherever she went, and she was usefully strong without being ridiculous. She was a great addition to the story. Thank you to later . glader for Rhia, who made this story what it is.**

 **6th Place: Nixon Hankook - Smoke Inhalation**

 **What a guy. Nixon was so entertaining to write and work with, believing nearly everything was a lie. He was so fun to toy around with and see what he could decide was fake. I really did love working with him, even if I ended up killing him in the end. Thank you to Galaxy842 for Nixon, who was just amazingly creative.**

 **5th Place: Radian Sempli - Smoke Inhalation**

 **Radian was a very simple character, which is greatly appreciated. As much as complex characters are necessary, so are the simple ones to maintain balance. He popped up as needed and made the story interesting without ever being overbearing or problematic. He simply... was. Thank you to ItSaCaTwOrLd for Radian, who was one of a kind.**

 **4th Place: Theodore Elaine - Smoke Inhalation**

 **Theodore was such a complex guy, man. He was supposed to be a victim of trauma, learning his value around that and becoming strong as he went. Sadly, I didn't have the energy to write such an important story, so it didn't get written here. For now, he's the man who thought he had to be a leader. Thank you to SparkALeah for Theo, who was definitely a creative character.**

 **Second time saying this just to prove the point: This chapter is my bad, not my submitters'. I'm running out of energy to write and don't want to leave you hanging, so something drastic had to happen. Everyone in this story is welcome to resubmit elsewhere to someone who can write them better. That's actually always the case, because I don't consider myself the owner of the tributes. I'm just the vessel.**


End file.
